Uusitalo

Uusitalo is one of the numerous monikers for Finnish experimental dub producer Vladislav Delay, who may be better known as leftfield house wunderkind Luomo. As far as sound goes, the Uusitalo project falls in line closer to the clubs than the headphones, a Luomo-ised glance at improvisational techno. Those who have been following Delay’s work will already know that he’s at his best when his tracks sound as if they don’t know where they’ll be in 30 seconds time. Telenkanataja is that kind of a freewheeling, spontaneous record. It’s been six years since the last Uusitalo album, 2000’s live recording Vapaa Muurari, and he’s come a long way in recouping the ground he lost since he ruled the scene at the turn of the century. Last year’s The Fourth Quarter was a step in the right direction, through it was marked by some of the impatience that bogged down 2004’s Demo(n) Tracks. But Tulenkantaja actually matches Vapaa Muurari, and even goes a long way toward closing in on the sure hand behind Vocalcity. This is a must for Delay fans who have been awaiting his return to previous heights.