An appealingly playful mix of IDM's artsy, groove-based aesthetic and straight-up dance-pop not far removed from the indie electronic pop style of
Pizzicato Five or
Saint Etienne,
Slope's
Komputa Groove is a varied and hugely enjoyable romp. A variety of singers, from
Clara Hill's standard-issue, club-diva wails to Ovasoul7's
Barry White-style drawl, gives the album some kick. (Eva Nawrot's
Macy Gray-style nasal whine on the ballad "There Is No Friendship After Love" is a particular highlight.) But the vocal tracks alternate with a wide-ranging mix of instrumentals that move easily from the classy Euro-electronica of "A Gain," to the disco-friendly epic sweep of the self-explanatory "Funk."
Komputa Groove doesn't fit easily into any of the micro-genres of contemporary dance music, but that's a huge part of its charm. ~ Stewart Mason