Now up to his fourth album, Agoria is showing real signs of hitting his stride. He has always been capable of a fascinating variety of music, but here he structures the different styles perfectly, to give the natural twists and turns of a strong long playing record. Kid A is his vocal discovery, the 20-year old bringing her striking tones to the thoughtful Kiss My Soul and its punchy counterpart Heart Beating later on. Souless Dreamer sounds like a cross between DJ Hell and Mr Fingers but has an extra hypnotic quality to it in the form of Seth Troxler’s vocal. Even Carl Craig appears as a vocal guest, lending Speechless an atmospheric whispered vocal, though with the heavy, humid production, his announcement he is going to ‘drink whisky off your belly button’ might be a bit off-putting. Best of all on this record, though are Panta Rei’s classic techno recipe of oscillating melodies and driving beat, while Grande Torino makes sumptuous use of shimmering live strings, bringing Agoria’s soundtrack experience to the fore. This is his best album yet, by some distance – and that’s saying something!
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
