The Matrix

Gods & Monsters, the seventh release from Juno Reactor, sees Ben Watkins stretching a bit, but not straying too far from the Reactor formula of mixing techno and world music influences.

While it’s great to see techno getting bent and adapted, not all off Juno Reactor’s attempts to push its range are successful.

The first track on Gods & Monsters, Inca Steppa, starts out promising, with a driving synth bassline. It quickly turns into a vocal number, though, marred by weak lyrics. The music is all over the place, too, with spy/surf guitar, theremin-style synth warbles and a bit of a reggae feel. I don’t know where this track was going, but it doesn’t seem to have arrived in one piece.

The second track, Tokyo Dub, is a slow number that sounds less dub than soul. Despite great sounds and production and a fantastic singer, the track feels too long after 30 seconds, with lame lyrics again the culprit. The track might have been interesting if Reactor had actually done some bizarro dub tricks and effects, but instead the track just goes on and on.

While the first two tracks aren’t particularly promising, somewhere in the third track, Las Vegas Future Past, Reactor seems to find their groove. Read more…