Search - Steve Lawler :: Lights Out 2

Pity that the better disc will be the less appreciated one

Anand Subramaniam | Chennai, INDIA | 12/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After having listened to Steve Lawler's opening edition of the Lights Out series so many times that I almost know it by heart, I was really looking forward to this one. Given Lawler's explanation of what the series is meant to represent, you are assured of getting some of the darkest, dirtiest tribal grooves in the market - or so I thought.Well, it's the sleazy side of clubbing all right, but that doesn't automatically make it cutting edge, as Disc 1 demonstrates. The basslines bang with Lawler-esque regularity, and the screeches of banshee vocals and nerve jangling synth arrays are all there in force. But instead of creating a deep, dark and underground tribal sound, it makes me think more along the lines of Steve-Lawler-on-a-commercial-club-night. Lots of people will like this Disc for precisely this reason - while the sound bears his signature, it is mainstream enough for the casual listener to get involved in. Disc 2, on the other hand, is wild, wicked, exotic and - at times - flippin' bizarre. Exactly what you want from a Lights Out Vol. 2 disc. This is Lawler at his dark, spooky best, dropping track after track of booming basslines, ethereal chimes and squirming wails. His choice of opener and closer, with Underworld's haunting sound and the retro-melancholy trip that is Jaydee's Plastic Dreams, encapsulates the whole CD in a beautiful mood that is all his own. While this (IMHO) makes Disc 2 a winner all the way, I'm not sure too many people will feel the same - not unless they are quite serious listeners, with some experience with the sound. A lot of people may just get put off by it, especially after listening to Disc 1.So why only 3 stars? Because this isn't just another compilation - it's a Lights Out. It stands for something, or is supposed to, and while Disc 2 does, Disc 1 doesn't. The pity is that most people won't care too much, and will probably have the totally opposite opinion with regard to which CD cuts the mustard and which one doesn't. Oh, well - I suppose everybody's got to decide what they want from a mix compilation themselves. As for me:Disc 1 - 3 stars. Decent stand-alone mix, I suppose, but it simply ain't what this series stands for.
Disc 2 - 5 stars. Demented, seriously tweaked grooves. Hand on to this CD, it's gonna become a sought after classic among hardcore enthusiasts very soon.
Overall Rating - 4 stars. Hell, why not? You're gonna love at least one of them. :-)"

Steve lawler

M. C. Peixoto | Seattle | 10/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Im a big fan of lawler's work and i think this stuff is great. Either you hate the electroness or you love it. I love it and i think its great and a big step in lawler's music. Dont go out for this cd unitl youve heard what it sounds like."

Upfront vocal house and tribal: hisleast accessible work

Richard Diaz | 12/08/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There's ten tracks. But we'll come back to that. For thick, chugging, tribal percussion and a heady sense of seedy escape, Steve Lawler's exemplary catalog would make him the DJ of choice. His four other albums were crackers, and Lights Out 2 promised to (paraphrasing Lawler), go funkier, sexier, and more uplifting so that when combined with a forthcoming volume 3 you'd have a complete 8-hour view of his live sets. All well and good, except that disc one is awful, spooling out track after track of upfront vocal house and electroclash dross. There's comically bad, strip club-rejected lyrics from Polekat on "Dancin Queen," a sped up Da Da Da flashback with sassy "your love has got me movin" on Danusha "Movin' On," the repetitive title lyric of Presser "2 Black 2 Gay," and - finally - the creatively exhausted discussion of what "house music is" on Faith Sounds "London Night." More of the same fat squelchy electro surfaces on disc two, with Eurochrome leading the black eyeliner Dead Can Dance revival and What Ever Girl Presents packing a fruity vocal, but you do get ten straight tracks of stonkingly good tribal rhythms to make up for such indulgences. There's exotic drum banging on Indart Colors V Legaz "Remember the Beats," DJ Pierre and David Morales' hard-rockin' "Make it Hot" with a huge bassline, Sahara's simple groove and squiggly synth bobbing of "The Only One" and a clever switch up as the key stabs provide the funky element on "Tide of Dreams" over straighter beats. Ten tracks may not be much, but it builds to an hour of quality vibes for the Lawler faithful fans. Viewed as a whole, however, Lights Out 2 is a dubious venture into varied musical territory and his least accessible work to date."