µ-Ziq - Salsa with Mesquite

µ-ziq peeks his head into the U.S. with this first Astralwerks-associated release, and with mixed results. The opening title track showcases ear-splitting atonal keyboard stabs and Kabuki vocal samples that finally give way to Mike Paradinas' trademark of over-distorted drum machines. "Happi" comes next, bouncing sweetly like some reworked Esquivel song with half the compositional value and twice the redundancy. Just as monotonous comes the simplicity and forward-thinking club-dub of "Loam" that, at best, has a good build to it. Read More