Static - Flavour Has No Name
[City Centre Offices]

What a way to follow up 'A Strangely Isolated Place', by releasing the brand new Static album a month later. City Centre Offices further stand their ground as one of the forefront labels in blissed out Electronica.

Overall, 'Flavour' is a purely processed album using nothing but synths and drum machines, without a hint of live instruments. Vocal in parts and instrumental the rest, 'Flavour' has an incredibly minimal, stripped down feel, this isn't to say the album is soulless.

The standout piece is the title track itself, what with it's fast, fierce, post-drum and bass beats. 'Generique' and 'Dependent Depending' are gorgeous ambient pieces that build so gradually it's difficult to hear any change. 'Generique' is the better of the two, based on static, vinyl crackle and mashed up beats, it's brilliant stuff. These tracks contrast beautifully with the vocal numbers and more intense moments.

Vocalist Valerie Trebeljahr, is borrowed from the excellent Lali Puna for 'Turn On Switch Off' and indeed the track could easily be Lali Puna themselves. As a lush, thick organ is layered with clicks and cuts, Valerie's gorgeous wispy vocals leads the song into a dreamlike state. This is truly calming, beautiful stuff.

'Disquiet' meanwhile, is a German Arab Strap, whilst 'Ghost', starring Ronald Lippok comes across like Kraftwerk's 'Hall Of Mirrors', with it's broken English, over a background of Electronic beats. Both are fairly melancholic and bleak. A Strong improvement on his debut, 'Flavour' is pretty faultless throughout.