Losoul Getting Even

• Words: Dave Segal
• Label: Playhouse
• XLR8R Rating: /10

Losoul's Belong (2000) is one of the most auspicious experimental tech-house debut albums ever. It's unsurprising that Losoul (Peter Kremeier) took four years to follow up such a monumental work. Unfortunately, Getting Even, while mostly solid, doesn't match Belong's skewed brilliance. Getting Even's reliance on stern, simplistic 4/4 rhythms and faltering attempts at pop ("A Blood Sample" and "You Know") overshadow Losoul's inventive array of percussion eccentricities and warped keyboard tones. The disc ironically peaks on its most atypical cuts: "Soul Down"'s hypnotic downtempo tech-dub and "Warriors (Rock)"'s mesmerizing schaffel with Gang Of Four-ish guitar stabs.