Tighter Jaws

Michael Mayer “Rudi Was A Punk”

Michael Mayer is very out of step with trends in all corners of electronic and dance music right now, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Mantasy, his first album in eight years, sticks to his strengths as a composer – clean sounds, tight structures, vamps, vamps, vamps, vamps. Each track has a distinct character and tone, like a meditation on a memory of a classic groove. Sometimes it’s obvious, and a song riffs on a classic like “Billie Jean.” “Rudi Is A Punk” comes off like a stylish film soundtrack, like some slick, metronomic gloss on James Bond or Mission: Impossible. As with the best Mayer material, the clinical precision of the track is complemented by hooks that are very straightforward and eager to please. That’s the funny thing about Mayer and Kompakt – it all seems so Euro and aloof, but pretty much all of their output can be enjoyed as pop music.

Buy it from Amazon.