The title Ghettoblaster says it all, and with it Armand Van Helden blasts back through the club scene's past, across a dozen freestyling tracks. Retro is the key theme here, even the song titles evoke yesteryear -- "A Track Called Jack," "Je T'aime," "To Be a Freak," as Van Helden not only resurrects the sounds of the past, but deliriously mashes them together. "Go Crazy!" sets the stage with propulsive beats and the synth stabs so popular in their late-'80s day that they even infested the Jamaican dancehall; with its funky, faux bassline, exultant vocals from Majida, and a new wave-y synth line, this is house as it never was, but always seemed to be. As exuberantly old-school as that is, "Touch Your Toes" has it beat, a hip-hop, scratch-laden anthem driven by a bassline even fatter than Fat Joe, who with B1 gets the exercise class rocking. Both of those are originals. "I Want Your Soul," in contrast, is an inspired adaptation of "Do You Want It Right Now," where new wave meets hands-in-the-air house. Back in the Big Apple, music flows from every neighborhood, creating a stew of sounds all its own, and "NYC Beat" captures the nitty-gritty feel of the city, powered by a lethal bassline, shout-along Ramones style vocal samples, and a rocking new wave infected melody line. That quartet of songs supply the blueprint for the rest of the set, as Van Helden careens between new wave, early house, funk, and soul, occasionally sprinkling the set with a carnival feel courtesy of the cowbells. The cut and paste "This Ain't Hollywood" is sure to impress, the kaleidoscope styled "Still in Love" equally so, while "Je T'aime"'s down and dirty rhythm and fat, funky bassline will have the whole house shaking. However, in places Ghettoblaster suffers from the same problems that bedeviled the extended remixes that proliferated in the new wave scene: what sounded great for three minutes became interminable after four. High scores for accuracy then, but a few points docked for lack of imagination. Overall, however, this is an extremely clever, fun-infested set, with Van Helden effortlessly evoking specific styles and songs with a single note or beat. Old-school fans will have a field day, while the younger generations should find this trip down memory lane just as entertaining.
© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo