Choosing once again to team herself up with the highest pedigree production collaborator she can find, Charlotte Gainsbourg continues to make elegantly classy music with album number three, IRM. Following the Nigel Godrich produced 5:55 from 2006, a record which boasted contributions from the likes of Air and Jarvis Cocker, IRM sees Gainsbourg hooking up with Beck, the singer/songwriter handling production duties alongside composing, recording and co-writing the lyrics. 

It's certainly a bold move, though perhaps one that makes IRM feel more like a Beck record featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg than the other way round; this very much an album that boasts his musical fingerprints throughout, almost a companion piece to his latest, MODERN GUILT from 2008, all lush orchestration and deep bass rumbles. 

For all the elegance, atmosphere and classy production style, IRM does however feel a little lacking in heart and soul, a collection of songs that impress with their cleverness and arch attitude but rarely offer much in the way of warmth; songs to admire rather than to love. The likes of MASTER HANDS, IRM and LE CHAT DU CAFE DES ARTISTES are extremely cool and studied,  Gainsbourg delivering half whispered croons over lushly orchestrated soundtracks to effective results. There's just something of a wisp of style over substance at play here though, these are hardly tunes you'll find yourself humming once they're finished, whilst you'll find yourself enveloped in their ice cool atmospherics at the time, the aftertaste proves a little too underwhelming and insubstantial.

IN THE END offers a more folk based experience, gentle acoustic guitars running beneath Gainsbourg's pretty vocals whilst previous single HEAVEN CAN WAIT finds Beck duetting on a decent sounding pop tune. One of the records finer moments is ME AND JANE DOE, a pretty pop tune that lives up to the promise of the Gainsbourg/Beck collaboration for arguably the first time, quirky production flourishes and odd sound effects marrying the avant garde to pure pop. Other highlights on offer include the distorted bass ridden TRICK PONY and the off kilter pop of GREENWICH MEAN TIME, a song that bares comparison to the likes of MIA or Santogold.

It's unfortunate that amidst these gems, the likes of TIME OF THE ASSASSINS and VANITIES conspire to dull the whole experience, songs that feel far too uninspired and devoid of spark, the Gainsbourg/Beck collaboration succumbing to the whole style over substance criticism once again, dragging IRM into frankly boring sounding territory.

Saving the best until the end though, the double whammy of VOYAGE and THE COLLECTOR prove that IRM is a record that certainly does have it's moments of genuine brilliance; VOYAGE a French sung pop tune backed by tribal drum patterns, gorgeous orchestral flourishes and odd sound effects is certainly one of the records stand out moments whilst THE COLLECTOR ends things on a delicate but mesmerising high, Gainsbourg crooning elegantly over haunting piano chords and Beck's odd but effecting backing vocals.

Whilst certainly patchy in places and disjointed as a whole, IRM is still an album that boasts a handful of genuinely inspired moments, the Beck production is definitely front and centre throughout IRM, this feeling very much like a Beck record featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg. Not a perfect record by any means, but certainly an interesting and intriguing one, IRM has enough to recommend it, just not enough to make you love it.

If the whole idea of a remix album is to take the originals and re-mould, re-imagine and re-interpret them into something altogether different and unique, then MISSING DEADLINES – SELECTED REMIXES, the latest project from Ulrich Schnauss is the very definition of the genre.

Tackling the likes of Howling Bells, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Mojave 3 and Asobi Seksu, Schnauss stamps his very own musical stamp on proceedings here, unleashing waves of sonic majesty and shoegazery wistfulness on these songs; even going that extra mile in certain cases and improving on the originals. 

Ulrich Schnauss is a German born multi instrumentalist, songwriter and producer whose previous solo albums FAR AWAY TRAINS PASSING BY, A STRANGELY ISOLATED PLACE and GOODBYE have been glorious excursions into minimalistic electronica, synth washed dream pop and shoe gazing shout outs to the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive. Starting out in the mid nineties, the Berlin based Schnauss released a handful of ambient releases under guises such as View To The Future and Ethereal 77 before developing his sound and vision towards the more ambitious solo releases whilst also finding time to fill in on keyboard duties for the bands Longview and Engineers, not to mention production duties for artists such as Kirsty Hawkshaw and Exit Calm.

All of which brings us to MISSING DEADLINES – SELECTED REMIXES, a record that as the title implies, collates together various re-interpretations of his better remix work throughout the years. The remix tag seems somehow disingenuous and misleading at times here though, Schnauss at times re-sculpturing these songs into something far more unique and sonically intriguing, fans of Schnauss will definitely hear this musicians sonic fingerprints smeared loud and clear throughout proceedings.

Opener SETTING SUN from Australian outfit Howling Bells gets things off to a suitably ethereal and other worldly start, Schnauss layering glorious synth washes and sonic velvet over the original, taking things in ever more dream pop like directions. He employs similar tactics to Asobi Seksu's STRAWBERRIES and A Sunny Day In Glasgow's GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD, transforming the originals into works of ambient delicateness that wash over you like a warm breeze.

It's on the lesser known songs here though that Ulrich Schnauss perhaps offers up the records finest moments, HALO from Aus in particular emerging as something truly special and enlightening, a mesmerising excursion into minimalist ambience that plays out like the soundtrack to the most glorious slow motion sunset you've ever seen in your life, breath-taking and awe-inspiring stuff.

Another highlight is FAITHFUL FRIEND by Katharina Franck, taking the nursery rhyme like original and spinning into into darker, Blade Runner like directions of menacing electronica. In fact Schnauss never seems to put a foot wrong through MISSING DEADLINES – SELECTED REMIXES, each and every song on offer delivering something gently mesmerising and beautiful; the likes of Lunz, Mahogany and Madrid having their works expanded and exploded into something imbued with wonder.

Considering the huge Slowdive and Ride influences on his solo material, its heartening to hear those bands originators Rachel Goswell and Mark Gardener represented with COASTLINE and STORY OF THE EYE, these mixes clearly a labour of love for Schnauss and given reverential treatment here. Closing number BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS by Mojave 3 continues the Slowdive connection and ends things in suitably intoxicating splendor, another marriage of minimalist ambience, shoe gazing delicacy and wide-eyed wonder.

As a remix album, MISSING DEADLINES – SELECTED REMIXES does exactly what you'd hope for from such a project, taking the originals and re-interpreting them into the remixers own unique sonic vision. Ulrich Schnauss presents a record here that enchants from beginning to end, at times blissful and awe-inspiring, at times dark and menacing, always intriguing and always mesmerising. For fans of all things ethereal, other-worldly and wonderful, MISSING DEADLINES – SELECTED REMIXES is a must.

What sort of person do you have to be to enjoy instrumental music? A scientist perhaps, or a mathematician? A late night raver, a DJ or a drum n’ bass fiend?
In order to feel a true, deep-seated love for instrumental music you have to have a very acute music taste. Instrumental music is like meditation for the ears; it is the bare bones of music and a whole different level of entertainment.
Run Silent, Run Deep is the second EP from Producer Andy Smith a.k.a Dialog>. He has been compared to Orbital and Underworld and while there are similarities there, Dialog> seems to be missing the enchantment found in the records of his contemporaries. There are moments on Run Silent, Run Deep that will really catch your attention but the majority of the EP fails to entertain and will leave the listener disappointed.
To be successful, instrumental music needs to truly blow you away and there can’t be any part of the listener left unaffected by the sound. Run Silent, Run Deep is a good but limp effort from Dialog>.

As their name suggests, Risqué are an electro-rock duo with a penchant for fetish wear and Pedro Almodovar films.  Other reviews I’ve found are mainly from alternative lifestyle mags like Bearded and Skin Two, hyping the group’s ‘sexy provocation and S&M links’.  So all that remains is for us to discover whether their music deserves a pat on the back or a good hard slap (and whether they’d enjoy it or not).

The title track is a piece of techno burlesque through which singer Nathalie breathily intones the title rather a lot.  It’s slightly kinky electronic decadence in the vein of Goldfrapp or the Kylie’s comeback stuff.  Things continue in this vein through the tracks ‘Push The Button’ and ‘I Want Your Number’, until we get to the first of the many cover versions on this album- Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’, which is something of a letdown, any attempt at raunch abandoned in favour of a straight cover with synths instead of guitars.  ‘Marilyn’ suffers from a dodgy name checking bit (Madonna, Britney, etc,   are all fakes compared to Marilyn Monroe- dull, as Madonna inadvertently proved that herself years ago) and a cringey Euro-rap middle section.  Things pick up again with ‘Hotline’, which is reminiscent of bands like Daft Punk or Air.  ‘Do You Believe In Heaven?’ has a real Kraftwerk feel to it, and then we get a whiplash-sharp cover of the Velvets’ ‘Venus in Furs’, all synths and whip samples, enlivened further by Nathalie’s vocals making sound a bit Nouvelle Vague meet Depeche Mode.  ‘Plastic Lover’ is too reminiscent of Rogue Traders’ ‘Voodoo Child’ to escape adverse comment.  ‘Superstitious’ goes into Kylie overdrive, before diverting down the euro-house route again with ‘Deshabille-toi’.  ‘Can’t Stop’ is more Kraftwerk.  Things wind up with a cover of ‘Disorder’.  As anyone who’s seen Twenty Four Hour Party People will know, interpreting the music of Joy Division is not something to be approached lightly, but Risqué pull it off with electronic aplomb and cold Teutonic vocals of which Ian Curtis would undoubtedly have approved.

Glitzy, louche, glam and oh-so-decadent, ‘Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down’ had me nodding my head along as I reviewed it, which made typing a bit of a challenge.  Yes, there are some distinctly iffy bits, but this album will fill dancefloors wherever tracks are played, or at least having people tapping their feet, depending how tightly done up their bondage gear is.

Biography

Risqué – French vixen Nathalie and her Welsh husband Huw – combine their lavish soundscapes with a series of incredible collaborations from the likes of dance pop diva Billie Ray Martin and New York City’s legendary transsexual sexbomb and muse of David LaChapelle, Amanda Lepore.