The feeling persists that this album could have been written any time from 1979 onwards, as it frequently taps into a darker, shady form of electro. It is far from derivative, mind – and further listens to Ghost Culture’s self-titled debut reveal him to be an artist whose music has real staying power, showing why a producer with the clout of Erol Alkan signed him on the back of a single listen. That track was ‘How’, a song with a curious and quite chilling piece of minimal electronica placed at the heart of this album. Not long before it is ‘Giudecca’, named after a Venetian lagoon but having a dark edge to its low-slung beats and sharp edged synths. Crucially Ghost Culture has the songs to match his electro riffing, with ‘Glass’, ‘Lucky’ and ‘Arms’ all simply titled but fully formed efforts that reveal more depth with each listen. With an overriding darkness present despite the intimacy of the vocal delivery, this is definitely music you would encounter underground – but ultimately the music leaves you feeling the encounter is worth it.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/ghostculture/ghost-culture-giudecca}
