Sometimes when you do so much looking forward, you have to look back once in a while to get some perspective. Bizarster, Vibert's seventh album under his own name — and, astoundingly, his 24th LP overall — plays like an hour-long jaunt through electronic music's more buoyant history.
Granted, Vibert has always had a penchant for yesteryear, but this has usually been a minor factor — an early house cut here, a bygone instructional video sample there, the odd sci-fi aesthetic — rather that the dominating characteristic, as it is on Bizarster. "Ghetto Blast Ya" is a veritable sonic time machine, blending rave-y synth stabs, sirens, spin-backs and feel-good vocals into a decidedly '90s concoction. Then there's the tongue-in-cheek "I Can Phil It," which features vocal samples from '80s sleeve-roller Phil Collins and "Don't Fuck Around," a bombastic jungle track that's a bit too old school for its own good.
It's here, finding the line between vintage and tacky, that Bizarster stumbles. In reviving the styles of old, Vibert inevitably dredged up a lot of its cheesier elements too, and while they're all thoroughly enjoyable for the first ten seconds, you may find yourself reaching for the volume-down button once the initial excitement wears off. Bizarster is definitely worth a visit for Vibert fans and anyone who wants to relive some glory days, but considering the sheer size of his back catalogue, it's easy to see this one getting lost on the shelf.
(Planet Mu)Granted, Vibert has always had a penchant for yesteryear, but this has usually been a minor factor — an early house cut here, a bygone instructional video sample there, the odd sci-fi aesthetic — rather that the dominating characteristic, as it is on Bizarster. "Ghetto Blast Ya" is a veritable sonic time machine, blending rave-y synth stabs, sirens, spin-backs and feel-good vocals into a decidedly '90s concoction. Then there's the tongue-in-cheek "I Can Phil It," which features vocal samples from '80s sleeve-roller Phil Collins and "Don't Fuck Around," a bombastic jungle track that's a bit too old school for its own good.
It's here, finding the line between vintage and tacky, that Bizarster stumbles. In reviving the styles of old, Vibert inevitably dredged up a lot of its cheesier elements too, and while they're all thoroughly enjoyable for the first ten seconds, you may find yourself reaching for the volume-down button once the initial excitement wears off. Bizarster is definitely worth a visit for Vibert fans and anyone who wants to relive some glory days, but considering the sheer size of his back catalogue, it's easy to see this one getting lost on the shelf.
