Boys Noize Oi Oi Oi CD

Boys Noize is the work of basically one man named Alex Ridha. But he is more than capable of producing big hearty electronic beats in the vein of the Crystal Method and especially Daft Punk, if the opener, "& Down," and the smooth, stellar "Don't Believe the Hype" are any indications. Weaving a mix of electronica with some interesting melodies and classic house sounds, the momentum continues with "Lava Lava" but tends to sag with the rather formulaic, blips-and-beeps-heavy "The Battery," which seems a bit aimless. Fortunately, "Oh!," with its talk-box intro, gets the album back on track, preceding the first true highlight in the punchy, infectious "Let's Buy Happiness," which resembles work by the Chemical Brothers. Another highlight, aside from "Superfresh," is the adventurous "Vergiftet," which relies on a rock-solid foundation for its success. Other portions of the record are good but not the type of tracks that are memorable, a good example of this being the retro-tinged ambient-meets-disco flavor of "Shine Shine." Although "Frau" sounds like a blend of Kraftwerk and a sedated Rammstein, Boys Noize once again strike pay dirt with the bonus remix of "My Moon My Man," featuring Feist. ~ Jason MacNeil

Audio Mixers: Andi Meid; Alexander Ridha.

Audio Remixer: Alexander Ridha.

Recording information: Home, Berlin, GA; Pilatuspool Studio, Hamburg, Germany.

Personnel: Alexander Ridha (strings, keyboards, talk box, bells).

Additional personnel: Terry Ann Frencken (vocals); Rrubi Van Der Chau (keyboards); I-Robots.

Uncut (p.87) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]uge, hard-jacking, techno-funk/disco tunes, a master of the teasing slow build and the euphoric breakdown."
Alternative Press (p.136) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[B]rutally elegant in its simplicity. Stomping, four-on-the-floor electrobeats brought writhing to life by wickedly distorted synth riffs."