PRICE:
$17.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Lifeblood
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
MOBILEE 010CD MOBILEE 010CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
5/11/2010

Dan Curtin's Lifeblood is his ninth album. Beginning in the early '90s, Curtin established an inimitable brand of machine soul on releases for Strictly Rhythm, Peacefrog, Sublime and many others, and he hasn't slowed down since -- including three singles for Mobilee and her sister label Leena, not to mention Curtin's own acclaimed Metamorphic label, which continues to chart the deepest recesses of electronic dance music. A bona fide legend of Midwestern American techno, Curtin has never shied away from the album format, using the medium again and again as a vehicle for exploring ideas that don't fit conveniently on the space of a 12". Lifeblood is no different. Refreshingly varied and remarkably cohesive, it's a welcome reminder of techno's expressive potential. Despite its roots in classic sounds, this is no throwback. It's grounded in the here and now: drenched in funk, strengthened with silicon/analog alloys, and positively aglow with emotion. It spans 16 tracks: ten of them made with the dancefloor in mind, plus short ambient sketches and two unexpected slow-burners to remind us of techno's kinship with golden-era hip-hop. It's an album that's fine with being broken down and carted off in DJ bags, or spliced into a mixtape -- but it also rewards sustained, concentrated listening as a whole. And what a varied whole it is. "Mirrors Reflecting" combines terse, hard-knuckled percussion with ethereal pads and sci-fi bleeps, suggestive of both '90s Tokyo and '00s Hamburg, "Other (Lost In You Mix)" drops insinuating vocals over a deeply satisfying house groove, with plunging chords and atonal detailing caught in a delicious push-and-pull, "Tickets To Paris" and "Schlafwagen" are spooky and sexy in equal measure, all goosebumps and flushed skin, and so much more. Diverse? You bet. But more than that, it all holds together without ever repeating itself -- a rarity for electronic albums. The form reflects Curtin's own approach, dedicated to craft and open to possibility. Lifeblood speaks to the very essence of being -- the pulse is within you.