Having kicked off his career with some retro and underground 12"s ("Moonwalker" was spacey, No U-Turn or
Grooverider-like stuff, while the bassline to "Refugee" was "rollin'" before the term meant "high on Molly") plus some clever Internet uploads (the low-end rhythms of "Blender Bass" and "Hoover Bass" were sourced from household appliances), London drum'n'bass artist Mark Wilkinson goes for the radio on his nice and neat, official debut
Lazers Not Included. Tracks like the ever-swelling "Heartbeat" retain the producer's previous sheen plus his keen sense of song structure, but with vocalist
Arlissa delivering the hook and rapper
P Money delivering the flash, the prime sound of the big room is obtained while fans who prefer it "strictly underground" go hungry. "Take You Higher" is a rave-inspired grinder that shoots fireworks and comes with a cheeky, bloopy synth; then there's "Need to Know" with vocalist Iman which sounds like Acen's 1992 techno floor filler "Trip II the Moon" offered in a 2013 remix from
Flux Pavilion. Smoky soul meets jazzy garage music as vocalist
Becky Hill relaxes in the plush wonder of "Afterglow," then there are the serene bits of "Sleepless," which float like
Daft Punk on a
Tangerine Dream bender, and suddenly, an album that seems like a simple hits collection stretches its legs, offering varied moods and headphone-worthy moments that beg repeat listens. This is necessary as the short run time for most tracks can be frustrating when grooves take hold and then swiftly disappear, and when it comes to clever,
Wilkinson plays it straight for his debut, save the robot dominatrix vocals that deliver "Like It Hard," so stern that if you call it "camp" this Pleasurebot is likely to throw you on the torture table. Still, all these decisions seem sure, and when an "Erotic City"-vibe mixes with steel drums ("Need You"), or a
Depeche Mode-styled melody sends angels flying about the room ("Let Me Be Free"), it's obvious that
Wilkinson's version of going pop is much more filling and thrilling than the competition. ~ David Jeffries