Date: Sep 15, 2005
Text: Damion
Taken from: www.psyreviews.com
Vote: 7/10

E-Jekt
Dark Fader
Phonokol (Israel)

The first fullon album from Israel in months that psyreviews can recommend with a straight face, this collaboration between Hujaboy and his mate Uri is a cracking surprise. The vibe is moody, but not dark – it maintains a sort of positive fluidity throughout, pitching the balance skilfully and making it smell a little like the oldskool sounds of Total Eclipse with a hint of Green Nuns on -3. With some largely silly track names. Diffusion cranks it in as it means to go on, bags of attitude and an unbelievably confident sound that suggests E-Jekt know exactly where they’re going, and whether you’re coming with them is up to you entirely. A2D2 has a tecchier feel, taking standard fullon tricks and dips and coating them with a metallic crunchiness. The groove here literally rises out of nowhere, taking you by surprise and the main run will have the dancefloor weeping with energy. And as for the manic drum breakdown… sheesh. Loop Skywalker sounds like it could have been teleported to the future from an old Krembo release, and I mean this in a very, very good way; likewise Power Source-collaboration High Robot builds a fantastic vibe, burying an electric guitar joyously low in the mix while the other sounds cascade all over the place. Likewise Pan Solo, a truly digestable slab of psychedelic goodness, with the sort of movement you would have associated with GMS at their best, but with a much more fluid and malleable sound. Korg Lucas meanwhile is all about the chunk, falling around you on all sides but keeping you firmly with your feet moving right the way through. Mastering Yoda chills things out a little, with a fat bottomend and munchy metallic mcnuggets shifting around over the top. By the time it reaches its peak, it’s a true lesson in how trance should be: gorgeous layering, a great balance of smooth and rough, and a wonderful oily texture that will definitely have me moving when I hear it. See Trip Yo is a bit more awkward, sounding very like that old Krembo record on slow speed again, and similarly Dark Fader sounds like it was one belting track slowed down to 140bpm – something of a letdown when what you really want is to hear them go all-out for one last knickers-in-the-air stompfest. Which kind of sums this up really – there’s some staggering production here, some great emotion in the tracks, and bags of energy. The only thing they don’t do is really pull out all the stops and make the dancefloor’s feet bleed – you know they’ve got that ability. Still, while at times it may sound like style over substance, you can’t avoid the fact that this is one of the most original and likeable fullon artist albums all year.