Bogdan Raczynski - Alright! *

Artist:

Raczynski, Bogdan

UPC:

666908019324

Description:

Having seemingly disappeared for a while -- but who knows what he`d really been up to, given how easily the Internet allows for an anonymous career -- Bogdan Raczynski reemerged in late 2007 on Aphex Twin`s Rephlex label with Alright!, an eight-part blast of arty merriment that plays around with a slew of familiar dance tropes and has great fun doing it. Practically a concept album based on the title word, which crops up as a series of vocal interjections in the opening number delivered by different voices in different styles, Alright! looks back at everything from gabber to drill`n`bass, feeds it through a sonic blender that`s at once hollow-sounding and bass-heavy, and keeps throwing one curve ball after another. Whether it`s the sweet twinkle of a new keyboard melody toward the end of the first part, the simple overlay of synth bells and chimes heralding a crackling rhythm explosion on the fourth track, or the sheer exultance of the final part, there`s much to enjoy right as it happens. Plenty of now-familiar moves recur -- air-raid siren analogues, rising synth swells, and melodies heralding a climactic conclusion -- but are used so well that Alright! stands as its own effort as well as a celebration of its source material. Raczynski`s main goal is to keep the beats going, though, and sometimes his constructions are so delightful that laughing happily in sheer pleasure is as logical a reaction as dancing -- the second track turns into a goonily jumping beat that almost outdoes his label boss` work at its own game. The seventh track makes for an enjoyable contrast as a result, a much slower-paced but not sleepy song that could almost be a classic `70s science show theme given a slight futurist revamp. ~ Ned Raggett

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. alright!
2. alright!
3. alright!
4. alright!
5. alright!
6. alright!
7. alright!
8. alright!

Album Information

Release Date:

11/20/2007

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Electronic

Subgenre:

Drum `N` Bass/Jungle

Label:

Rephlex

Catalog Number:

REPH-193CD

Original Release Year:

2007

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

42 : 3

Portions copyright 2005 Muze Inc. All rights reserved.