The X Factors

The somewhat over-the-top sleeve note maintains that Kurtis Mantronix "changed the sound of music forever . . ."

It's a debatable view, for sure, but there is no doubting the significance of his role in the mid-'80s hip-hop scene in New York. The Mantronix duo of Mantronix and MC Tee released a string of full-on singles that combined hard beats with a sense of melodic intensity. As a result, 'Bassline, Who Is It?' and 'Scream', both of which are here, rank as hip-hop classics. Later cuts like 'Got To Have Your Love' and 'Take Your Time' were big hits but found less impressive; calculatedly commercial they lacked MC Tee's vocal presence.

The collection closes with two cuts from his new album I Sing The Body Electro. The vocals this time come from the hard rap of Traylude, and the result has a '90s edge, while still echoing former glories.

The use of analogue synthesisers has been superceded to a large degree by digital. But some people still prefer their sounds hard and dirty; producer Flood, for example, has a side project known as Node which has the analogue sound as its core. Add N To (X) take the same format for their Avant Hard album.

The mix of '70s pop, space invader camp and '80s electro is blended with a millennium sensibility to produce a collection of tracks that are as strange as they are simplistic. It's hard to see quite where this album will find a home beyond those with a fondness for those early synth sounds.

It's no surprise that the album is released on Mute, with its memories of Fad Gadget and others. Avant Hard is dirty and direct electro metal, evoking a time when synths made their own sounds rather than merely imitating other instruments. For that, it should be applauded. For the definitive track, check the last cut 'Music Is Bored With Love', which spans the decades, via a sample from late '60s band Egg's 'Fugue In D Minor', played on '70s and '80s analogue music machines, filtered through a '90s sensibility.

Add N To (X) to your collection if your heart is analogued and your mind logged on.