Moodyman associate Mick Collins aka 'The Dirtbombs' release 'Party Store' - nine disco/punky/ garage live interpretations of classic Detroit house and techno from the 80's and early 90's.
The subject matter runs the gamut from materialistic future-disco braggadocio (“Sharevari,” originally by A Number of Names) to cold, post-industrial isolation (“Alleys of Your Mind,” originally by Cybotron) through to the instrumental optimism of a worldwide house classic (“Strings of Life,” originally by Derrick May).
The two clear standout tracks are “Good Life” and “Bug in the Bass Bin.” Collins recontextualizes the upbeat modern dance élan of the former, originally by Kevin Saunderson via his Inner City outfit, to echo with post-punk zeal as the zest of doubled harmonies resonates throughout. “Bass Bin” (originally by Carl Craig as Innerzone Orchestra) features modular synthesizer programming by Craig himself and is the album’s pièce de résistance. Clocking in at more than 21 minutes, the track’s original light jazz underpinnings are diffused into a martial, militaristic backbeat coupled with fire-raining feedback screes from Collins’s trusty Kent guitar.