New Cylob creates some random associations. In 2002, the UK artist was DJing at the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn, offering a blazing set where Cylob’s own version of “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?” was a highlight. He shared the night with the Rephlex teammate Ed DMX, whose palmares include the kick drum slaughter “Cerberus” on Power Vacuum. Now it is Cylob’s turn to join Milo Smee’s sulphuric label for the catalogue entry number twelve, after having recently appeared on a mini compilation.
For Power Vacuum, Cylob preserves good old braindance rephlexes, for a mixture of rowdy electro and mutated synth pop. The opener “Concrete Corporal” takes a wild ride on a bumpy road, the definition of music conveyed with chaotic synth riffs and punchy bass. A little melody is played over the breakbeat hardcore derivative “Granular Psychosis (Ect Mix)” and sweet but short interlude “Zattrday” works as a fair weather forecast for the weekend.
The B-side offers straight 808 action in “Rosetta”, an user-friendly chunk of bass science weaving its way through the ravine of tricky acid, followed by dissonant slam “Ticking Over”. Simplified keyboard theme of “Mission To Mercury” sounds like 2 Unlimited meeting Legowelt.
After having survived the last tones of wonky “Pulp The Bass”, one can say that Cylob’s provocative, occasionally childlike sounds can be seen as an ironical statement on today’s electronic music. A record that may have the potential of shocking techno kids, but will hardly suffer from indifference.