Andrew Weatherall - 'Watch The Ride' (Harmless) Released 05/05/08

Andrew Weatherall is the latest DJ to feature on the increasingly eclectic ‘Watch The Ride’ series, following Scratch Perverts, Zinc, Tom Findley and High Contrast. Weatherall has consitently re-invented his sound during the 90’s –moving from the sounds of Madchester to downbeat to experimental techno instead of taking a much easier route - riding the big beat wave (Chemical Brothers) or high-profile-DJ (Oakenfold) storm at the turn of the decade.

This release manages to blend nu-disco (Cosmo Vitelli, Mock & Toof) with indie-pop (Au Revoir Simone) and even rock (The Black Lips). His mix starts with Roy Montgomery’s lush spoken word diatribe ‘London Is Swinging By His Neck’ – the feel is Orbital’s ‘Belfast’ before the bass kicks in.  A perfect opener – rich yet steady and unashamedly subservient to the kick drum and dark rolling rhythms of ‘Keeping Barry In Check’ which proceeds it in Weatherall’s fixture list of smooth beats and transcendental melodies.

What is to follow is unequivocally eclectic. The second of Weatherall’s remixes is fantastic. ‘Legacy’ has all the punch and bounce of Naseem Hamed at his peak and it’s twisted jazzy riffs are the first head-fuck on the album. There’s no looking back now with Chicken Lips Malfunction mix of ‘Make Out Fall Out Make Out’ preceded by the funky throb of Padded Cell’s ‘Far Beneath London’ undoubtedly the best pairing on the LP. Siouxsie’s ‘Into A Swan’ sounds somewhat out of place but with Simian Mobile Disco just around the corner, the overtly pounding bass is quickly forgotten.

The influx of minimal techno in recent years and led to a lot more experimentation during the recording process, but not many more so as ‘The Lone Swordsmen’s’ latest offering – all over the place, yes, but think Owen Hargreaves on the football field rather than Jade Goody staggering out of a club.