infosheet

Get Physical co-founder DJ T. returns with his second album, The Inner Jukebox, a singular and accomplished set that reflects its maker’s ongoing interest in rigorously re-inventing classic sounds for modern ears and dancefloors. After four years of 12″ releases and collaborative experiments, DJ T.’s full-length follow-up to 2005’s Boogie Playground is upon us. While Boogie Playground was an exploration of T.’s 70s and 80s influences, a melting-pot of styles that touched upon electro, disco, italo and funk, The Inner Jukebox draws inspiration from the 90s and is a more focussed adventure - it’s T.’s vision of house music as it should be. So much “house” around right now is really just glorified minimal techno, vibe-killing in its meticulousness; by contrast, the tracks which comprise The Inner Jukebox are bold, vivid, expressive. They’re cerebral and carefully crafted, yes, but more importantly they have a bounce and a sexiness to them. T. has always sought to make proper, no-nonsense dance music with real groove at its heart - and The Inner Jukebox finds him fully realizing that ambition. Produced with Thomas Schumacher, who used to helm Elektrochemie and now produces acclaimed solo material for Get Physical, The Inner Jukebox is an assuredly mature work, but is notable also for its youthful exuberance and confidence. This is no concept album - it’s about quality dance music that will sound great in the club, the car, the home, wherever. The album opens with its title track, a deep, atmospheric piece replete with dubby chords and shuffling, brushed snares; even without a kickdrum, the tension is built up beautifully with sampled, wordless voice-fragments - a recurring feature throughout the album. Drawing upon the vast record collection and sound-archive which he has built up over the years, T. samples human voices and cuts them up so that they no longer convey words but rather act as percussive, syllabic stabs. This technique is employed to dramatic effect on