Search - Genaside 2 :: Return of the Redline Evangelist

The return of a dancefloor legend

Brent Figiel | Pittsburgh, PA | 07/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On paper, describing what Genaside II does can cause people to scratch their heads. It's half hardcore techno, half movie soundtrack, half opera, and half dancehall hip-hop. A lot of halves, yes, but they mixes their sources together into a cohesive product that can be infectious as Hell. The songs have a very big, very epic feel to it, thanks to the many string samples that weave their way in and out of the songs.The stand out tracks on first listen were "Nights Like This," "Teng Chow Now," and "Trendsetter." "Nights Like This" mixed a soft, operatic female vocal sample with Killerman Archer's straight-outta-Jamaica rapping and some menacing bass that begs to cranked on the dancefloor. One of those songs I would love DJ with just to see some women getting down to it. Keeping in mind that my knowledge of the endless techno sub-genres is limited, but the drums on "Teng Chow Now" have a very jungle feel with some strings and a rap sample. Another good dancefloor banger. "Trendsetter" belongs to the uncredited rapper at the forefront of it. "I'm a trendsetter/My clothes are getting better/The ...are getting better/My flows are getting better." Not Shakespeare or Jay-Z, but I dare anyone not to get down to it. They really wring a lot of urgency out of it. Another song I'd love to play for a crowd.Other songs stood out after multiple listens. "Drums Monkey" feels like a straight jungle song. Not bad, but it got lost sandwiched between two songs I felt were stronger. "Fighting Talk" has what sounds to be some Bruce Lee samples and an action movie soundtrack feel, making for another fun track. Great to play video games to. I went on the defensive when I heard Outnumbered's "Narra Mine" remix, "Archer's Revenge," but I warmed up to it after a couple listens. It lacks the staggering intensity of the original, but it's got a great bass kick. "Rest Your Soul" burns slow, with Mary Joy and Killerman both turning in strong performances. The song really displays Genaside II's ability to make a song sound both epic and intimate.The last five tracks on the album didn't grab me nearly as much as the first seven. Even after multiple listens I wasn't able to recall their song titles without looking at the CD case. "Revolution Revisited" is a retread on "Genaside Will Not Be Televised" from "Ad Finite," a spoken word mission statement set to dance music. It isn't as memorable as, say, KMFDM's "Dogma" or Pigface/Meg Lee Chin's "Nutopia." Not outstanding, merely alright. Mary Joy and Killerman return for "The Upside" and another solid collaboration, but the last stand out track on the album.If Genaside II wanted to create an album that will make you want to shake your [rear] or nod your head, they've certainly succeeded. A couple fumbles on side two keep it from being truly excellent, but it's definately a worthwhile addition to anybody's dance collection."