Next to bands like Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242, italo disco, an eighties genre, is an important source of inspiration for many contemporary electro producers. The mechanical beats and bouncy bass lines sound indeed very familiar if you know the music from artists like Legowelt and Bangkok Impact.
On I-Robots there are thirteen classics from the early eighties. The thing is that most tracks are very long (club mix and 12” mix). Most tracks in this genre are simplistic and monotonous, so after a few minutes the start to become boring. The average length of the tracks on this compilation is five to six minutes, just a little too long to stay interesting most of the time.
Very good is the new wave like ‘Catch’ by Sun-La-Shan. ‘Collision’ by Sphinx is a true disco hit with a melody that you might know. After hearing ‘Pinguins’ invasion’ from Scotch, it is evident what music Legowelt has been listening to. Of course Alexander Robotnick is present. This musician is still a well known electro artist. His older work is definitely better than his contemporary music.
I-Robots is above all a document. People who want to know a little more about the historical background of contemporary electro should without a doubt buy this record. But, as a record to simply enjoy at home on your couch, I-Robots is less interesting.
This album was released by Electtrica, a new imprint of Irma Records. In the Benelux it is distributed by Fount Music.
