Vibert / Simmonds

Legends in the world of electronic music, Luke Vibert and Jeremy Simmonds have been creating colourful, genre-bending IDM since the early ’90s and their stuff still sounds fresh and contemporary. Rodulate is a look back at what remained hidden in the Rephlex vaults until now. The album is a veritable mash-up of electronica before the term "mash-up” was invented, combining elements of jazz, techno, drum & bass, hip-hop and audio experiments into their own little sonic multi-verse. "Fishing Ray,” an ultra-tweaky, unofficial remake of A Guy Called Gerald’s "Voodoo Ray,” is both tongue-in-cheek and totally awesome. "V.A.J.” is a simple, golden, jazzy piece built up from a funky drum loop, a vibraphone line and a rising synth loop, all gelled together with fabulous bass lines. And the title track is an example of proto-electro turned dirty IDM that’s sure to make all the modern electronic people get a little nostalgic for the early ’90s. While the sound is very focused, as one would expect from Vibert and Simmonds, the diversity on this collection is surprising, including a lullaby. This album is a must for IDM freaks and fans of the whole Rephlex thing.