Flatspin

Japan’s Ken Ishii follows up 1999’s frankly patchy Sleeping Madness album with a return to the Detroit inspired techno sound Ishii does so well. Although it sounds at times like Stacey Pullen or Kevin Saunderson are manning the controls, Ishii has enough creativity and talent to stamp his own identity over proceedings. Witness the foreboding electro of ‘Gap Accelerator’ or the hardcore influenced ‘Moonquake’ for proof that the Tokyo based producer is more than adept at forging his own musical identity. The live percussion on ‘Drums In Friction’ and ‘Mirage’s atmospheric beats show he has retained an inventive, playful edge, a trait many of his contemporaries have long forgotten.