Paul Woolford has carved a formidable name as one of the UK’s true fearless foragers of electronic dance music who’s managed to create seismic impact anywhere from the world’s top DJs’ record boxes to heaving underground air-raid shelters: 2006’s ‘Erotic Discourse’ was one of the few underground tracks which bust out and sold buckets world-wide in a nearly-vanished tradition which used to happen every month. Apart from that he’s shit-hot enough behind the decks to get called Danny Tenaglia’s ‘new favourite DJ’. What do you expect? The man cut his teeth at Back To Basics and is on Ralph Lawson’s 2020 Vision label! Paul’s found a way of tapping into the machines and funnelling out his emotions through the circuits. It comes as little surprise to find that his debut album is a straight-up corker, from the electro drama of opening ‘The Truth through to Green Velvet’s wig-removing edit of ‘Erotic Discourse’. In between he straddles synthesised monster-funk on ‘Throb’, rabble-rousing electro-breaks on ‘Anatomy Of Desire’, advanced acid manipulation [of YMO’s genitalia] on ‘Radioactive’, gorgeous Mr Fingers-style deep house on ‘To Each And Every Time’ and a gamut of other styles which all have an inimitable character and energy. There’s even a touch of classical harp on ‘Shubboleth’. This is what sole-created albums should be – honest reflections of whatever’s coursing through the culprit’s soul and system, like singer-songwriters have always done with piano or guitar. Woolford does it with machines but it’s just as powerful way of making a statement.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
