Good to see The Black Dog name on a record again and it’s kind of suitable that it’s on this label. In the early 90s, they were one of the most soulful, innovative UK translations of the Detroit vibe. Now Ken Downie has returned wagging his tail with Martin and Richard Dust in tow. The mood of the two part title track is spacey, floaty and near ambient, with only subtle breaks for beats. But there is a sinister, fear-of-a-red-planet edge afoot too. The end result is like a strange meteoroid collision between Rings Of Saturn UR and Vanishing Point-era Primal Scream in space-funk mode. Flipwise, ‘D.O.G. Style’ is Detroit-flavoured ambient with Ryuichi Sakomoto textures. The only time the dancefloor is considered is with Carl Taylor’s remix of ‘Evoke’ – a springy, bleeped-up tech-house expedition. Of course, techno has progressed immeasurably since the first time around but The Dog still cocks a mean legfull of techno gold.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: KRIS NEEDS
