- Whether working alongside Erol Alkan as Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, with ex-Soft Cell man Dave Ball as The Grid or in his solo cosmic disco guise The Time and Space Machine, Richard Norris has plenty of experience in creating top-notch electronic music. This, at the tender age of 49, is the first time he's releasing under his own name, and it has the feel of a key release, both for him and for the ever-reliable Throne Of Blood label.
Both originals do a good job of encapsulating the imprint's low-slung, narcotic sound. The title track layers flashing synth stabs and a strong bass groove around a subtly filtered vocal that repeatedly declares that "freaks control the city, and I am one of the freaks." "Yeah" is a similarly effective exercise in dark, basement-ready house. It wraps a sighing titular vocal around shuddering bass and snappy high notes.
Three excellent remixes heighten the sense of occasion. If you heard Hardway Brothers' standout 2013 Throne of Blood release A/B Musique / Shorty, then the lip-smackingly druggy direction they take the title track in will come as no surprise. Ivan Smagghe takes a completely different path on his "Freaks" rework, turning in a luxuriant, rockabilly-tinted romp soaked in swirling '60s organs, while Milan producer Brioski clears away much of "Yeah"'s intoxicated fog and illuminates the landscape with skittering keys and bass notes.
TracklistA1 Freaks
A2 Freaks (Hardway Bros Remix)
B1 Yeah
B2 Yeah (Brioski Remix)
B3 Freaks (Ivan Smagghe Version)