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Written by Rob Levy Sunday, 04 December 2005 16:41

1L: Das Nonstop-Programm (Res Freq)

Sometimes electronic music can be mundane and repetitive; sometimes it can have no funk and become metallic and devoid of feeling. Nowadays, it is often punched in with little imagination or derivation. This is not the case with 1L’s Das Nonstop-Programm.

1l has made this album with ’80s appliances, toys, and musical equipment. Calculators, Ataris, and vintage synths are utilized to create something funky, groovy, and fresh. There are 11 tracks here and all of them wind and twist and bleep with life. They are digital and metallic, yet balanced with rhythm and melody.

1l may be pigeonholed as “blip-hop,” a new genre featuring bleeps, buzzes, and noises enmeshed in synthy drum tracks, beats, and high hats. However, this is an album with an odd sense of emotion. It begins with “Trax,” a free-falling, beat-driven track laden with thumps and bounces. “I Got the Rock” features an electronic voiceover, squiggly not-quite break beats, and rolling drums that give it some oomph. “Le Waif” is an instrumental with serious retro tendencies. It hops about and features those ’80s faux symphony riffs we all remember so well. “You Got the Funky” sounds like Heaven 17 gone manic. Jittery, it skips and zips around. “You Got it More” sounds like it fell out of New Beat. It has a rising synth crescendo that scuttles about and leaves a catchy melody in its wake.

The absolute standout track here is the cover of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.” 1l recorded the track backwards, fiddled with it, and layered some of the background sounds. The end result is something fresh, lively, and completely invigorating. Its metallic robotic voice somehow sounds groovy.

Detroit techno has obviously affected the overall presentation and sound of 1L. This record has a techno metallic texture similar to old Inner City or Derrick May records. It takes contemporary electroclash and gives it a ’80s facelift. The end result is a fresh-sounding, complete project that pays homage without compromising the sound or killing us with kitsch.