Wireless [LP]

The follow-up to a very well received major-label debut, Wireless sees Slater expanding his range as a producer into backbeat-driven styles like old-school rap and electro, a far cry from the pummeling techno of his youth but no less intriguing despite the fact. From a lesser techno producer, Wireless would smack of a breakbeat sellout, an album that simply trades in Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim's brand of old-school techno. But just as Moby wisely stuck to his melodic strengths while crafting a breakbeat-inspired album (the same year's Play), Slater never deserts his own strongpoint -- intense, pummeling drum programming. There is a big difference, here; Slater's not just reaching for copies of old blues records and drum breaks. The tracks here are upfront, sinister, electro-inspired throwbacks, songs like "Sum Ton Tin," "Hard Knock Rock," and "Body Freefall, Electronic Inform" that throw dozens of electro effects into the pot with a subtle flair, from deep vocoder vocals to acid squelches to waves of synth menace. Wireless is a listen that's immediately rewarding and compelling. ~ John Bush