There is something unsettling, perhaps even frustrating about this release from Germany's DJ Hell, which collects the likes of a Black Panther speech and throws it two tracks away from a New Electro track called "Control," which sounds more like a new millennium update of Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" than the 7th circle rising up to overtake the earth. Many of the noises and musical adventures Hell attempts don't really fit under such a DJ name, and the vibe created by most of the album, though essentially dark and un-Air, is rather bouncy, housey and, regardless of image, just not very fun to hear. Sounds of gunfire and the like are often scattered herein without a cognitive pause and immediately lose their impact. Wherever an aptly bizarre sample appears, Hell tends to rest the creative weight of the track on it for the duration and doesn't take it anywhere unexpected. In a party atmosphere it may hit ears differently, but things like the random screaming of Alan Vega on "Listen To The Hiss" are quite annoying, seemingly pointless, and destroy the fabulous "you don't exist/ get out of the city" message of the track as well as the album. I feel this disk tends to pander to the partygoer's love of distraction as opposed to effectively getting across the socio-spiritual messages hidden within NY Muscle as influentially as possible... which is part of the New York social scene way, I guess, where it's better for your image to appear to stand for everything rather than actually standing for anything. It has its moments, but, all in all, this is very uninspiring.
1. Keep on Waiting
2. Listen to the Hiss feat. Alan Vega
3. Tragic Picture Show
4. Follow You
5. Let No Man Jack
6. Limbische System
7. Black Panther Party
8. Je Regrette Everything feat. Billie Ray
9. Control
10. Meet the Heat feat. Alan Vega
11. Wired
More about: DJ Hell
