DVAS

DVAS, or Dietzche V. and the Abominable Snowmen, from Edmonton are on a creative loop to bring back the rave, coming at you live. The twosome make clear their ’80s and ’90s upbringing with their disco/rave music. Like a simple hard house beat that you can relax to with melodic intervals, this music is generally no bullshit, with trance arrays and a sometimes house, sometimes electro, sometimes happy hardcore base. Some of the songs reveal the young spirit of the artists, like in "Sexual Variations,” while others show raw, crunching electronic ingenuity like in "Eternity (Beyond Forever).” "Bromance” is good for a laugh and "Black Rain” name checks Richard Gere, which hasn’t been heard since San Diego ska band the Fabulous Rudies did it. Some of the vocals are a little too Alice Dee Jay for my liking and the album is light-hearted in places where it could venture deeper. Still, Macho is confident and brings new life to old sounds of rave music that haven’t really been heard since the ’90s.