Son of a famous and important pop artist, L.A.'s
Eddie Ruscha Jr. spent time in the '90s alt-rock band
Medicine before splitting his resources amongst a handful of experimental and electronica-oriented side projects,
Secret Circuit being the least secret of the bunch. That may just sound like art-brat tomfoolery, but
SC's most widely available release since conception lands on
Tim Sweeney's label Beats in Space, which means it is already co-signed by one the most discerning longtime electronica advocates. There's good reason too, as this hip-shaker album winds through a psychedelic landscape as if acid house,
Ozric Tentacles, and chillout rooms were still all the rage, and yet the cool electro-house restraint and many dips into the new dancefloor eclecticism expose this as a post-
Prins Thomas, post-
Toro y Moi release. Check the great "Nebula Sphynx" for some
Kraftwerk-influenced techno that sticks, the aptly titled "Deep Stations" for some big-sky morning music that recalls breakfast at Burning Man, or the weird wonder dubbed "Parascopic Rope," a comfortable, friendly hallucinogen if there ever were one. Big surprise has to be the late album "Afterlife," which sounds '80s and German on one hand, and '70s and wet dub reggae on the other, and if
Ruscha's run through his favorite electronica genres isn't very purposeful or groundbreaking, the track is a great example of how rich and rewarding his work can be. Be it chillrave or wonky-house,
Tactile Galactics' familiar mash is attractive and worth any electronica fan's attention.