Germany’s Alex Ridha coined the nu-electro sound currently storming US big-rooms back when it was hip, so it’s a relief he doesn’t have eyes only for the dollar sign on his third album. As easy a focus as that would be, his resistance has paid dividends. While it might not exude the effervescent originality of 2007’s ‘Oi Oi Oi’ or the sparkling melody of 2009’s ‘Power’ – he’s stuck with the basics of his formula on ‘Out Of The Black’ – his restraint here implies an air of confidence informing Ridha’s craft today.
That’s what six years of hard graft will garner and it’s here in abundance. Opener ‘What You Want’, with its quasi D-Train hook, is what you’d want Justice to churn out now devoid of keytars and spandex. ‘XTC’ and its Kraftwerkian breakdown offers a knowing homage to the origins of his sound, while ‘Circus Full Of Clown’ feeds a half-step rhythm through a West Coast hip-hop filter without over-complicating things. The absence of any high-profile pop vocal collaborations – save for Snoop Dogg on ‘I’ll House You’, which playfully (and successfully) pays tribute to house music circa Dance Energy – and greater focus on the French house and techno that formed him, present Boys Noize at his most venerably accomplished.
8/10
Words by ADAM SAVILLE