Burn Down The Town

Album review

After several years of anticipation during which he focused on 12" releases, Phon.O finally delivered a full-length for the good of his home label, Shitkatapult, and through the folks on the good ship Tigerbeat6 Burn Down the Town also arrives on American shores. The 12 tracks here find Phon.O creating a travelogue of his international tours, with stops specifically in Detroit ("313 Dumpsta Railin'" and "Busted in da D") and Kyoto for major points of inspiration, as he flips through hard-edged IDM breakbeats, nasty electro twists and turns, and straight-up no-frills house and ghetto-tech tunes. Every new track presents a new palette of sounds and textures, a testament to Phon.O's willingness to stretch his musical vocabulary with fearlessness. Collaborations also abound, the highlight of these being "Trick or Treat," featuring a sexual no-holds-barred vocal performance from IDM's reigning diva, Kevin Blechdom. Factor in more guest appearances by Gold Chains, Sue Cie, and George W. Bush for good measure and you've got an album that will appeal to Tigerbeat6 loyalists and IDM fanatics (with a sense of humor) the world over.

© Rob Theakston /TiVo