Album review: Digitalism Mirage

Having cut their teeth remixing the likes of Klaxons, Tiga, Daft Punk and The White Stripes, German electro duo Digitalism achieved international success with their 2011 album, I Love You Dude, which notably contained a track co-written with The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, ‘Forrest Gump’.
Anyone expecting a subversive take on dance will be sorely disappointed with Digitalism’s latest offering, Mirage, which sticks closely to the EDM rulebook. The likes of ‘Arena’, ‘Battlecry’ and ‘Go Time’ are all thumping electro tracks with gaudy production and blaring choruses, over which the twin shadows of David Guetta and Skrillex loom large. The biggest fallacy of EDM is that it cuts the bullshit and gets right down to action – an argument that doesn’t stack up when you consider that Disclosure and Daft Punk have shown that good taste isn’t incompatible with chart-topping success.
   Mirage does have the odd inspired moment – such as the moody house number ‘Utopia’ and the dark electro tune ‘Destination Breakdown’ – but they ultimately prove to be an, er, mirage. For the most part, this is strictly for EDM fanatics only.
Rating: 6/10
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