This is the latest chapter in what could be titled 'The Many Faces Of Mr. Jones'.
Chicago's self-confessed "regular, straight-up house head," Curtis Jones, records house music under his Cajmere guise, and lets out his wild side when he becomes Green Velvet. The hair turns green, and the luminous wraparound shades go on. Green Velvet does techno with a punk attitude, performed with all the warped sense of theatre of one who didn't quite make it through drama school. However, he of the bright green mohican has a degree in chemical engineering. There's certainly a lot more going on here than meets the eye.
This is smart, thought-provoking material for the twisted. The sound is raw and hard-edged, and Velvet makes no compromises. Tracks like 'Stop Lying' and 'G.A.T. (Great American Tragedy)', are brutal pieces of electronica with plenty of shouting and swearing. If a band like Rage Against The Machine played techno, they might hope that the result would sound this good. There's anger behind the energy, and a 'f*** you I won't do what you tell me' attitude. Although Velvet may be fuelled by angst, his music is enquiring, as well. Curtis shouts on 'G.A.T.', "prove that I'm free by not f***ing with me," and it sounds like a perfectly reasonable request.
It's not all quite so harsh. ' Genedefekt' bumps away on a wave of abstract electronica over a tough bassline, and 'Sleepwalking' almost has a pop edge to it. The first single from the album, 'La La Land', is a slice of pure techno-funk with a booty shakin' bassline. Probably the most dancefloor friendly track on the LP, it's an observation of chemical recreation in clubland. Get on the dancefloor, listen, then wonder what he's really going on about. It can be a bit dark at times.
With the possible exception of the infectious 'La La Land', this album isn't exactly easy listening, even for techno fans. Curtis gives a voice to all those odd little thoughts that come creeping in unexpectedly, stirring things up at quiet times. It's usually at just those times, that so much madness makes such perfect sense.
