- Whether Christophe Hoeffel realizes it or not, there's little chance he'll ever make anything as authoritative and triumphant as "Discopolis," the half-disco, half-electro stomper he recorded as Kris Menace with Lifelike back in 2005. Even the stuff on Idiosyncrasies, the triple-CD compilation he released on his label Compuphonic in 2009, didn't have moments nearly as towering. Productivity doesn't seem to be a problem for Hoeffel, though, considering he now has enough material at hand to simultaneously release two brand new albums: the instrumental Electric Horizon and the vocal-led, guest-filled Features. What we get from these records are 24 disco-fied house tracks with enough prismatic glow to light those dark and lonely winter nights, despite some irksome flaws.
One thing you can't help but notice after hearing both albums is how unimaginative Menace's beats sometimes are. Electric Horizon suffers most from this fact, especially when its song structures are laid bare, as they are on the title track, "Eglecy," the anemic "Schnulzepspiel" and album opener "Falling Star." Most of the the album is built on a straight and steady 4/4 pulse that never really changes, which makes it feel somehow immobile. The dynamics that are present come from the arpeggiated, Blade Runner-esque pads that layer on top of one another, a trick that's especially effective on "Trusting Me," "eFeel" and the Italo-flavored (and quite gorgeous) "We Are."
Features mostly goes for a more pop-influenced, four-minute song format, helped along by a cast of distinguished vocalists. Barely lasting 180 seconds, the Chelonis R. Jones collaboration "Voodoo Dilate" is a straight-to-the-point exercise in concision that benefits from the singer's overbearing persona, as does "Trusting Me," featuring the ubiquitous Robert Owens, and "2Nite4U" with the legendary Romanthony (although this one's weird mastering makes it stand out awkwardly from the rest). Tracks with members from Simian, The Glass and The Presets press the right indie dance buttons. "Love is Everywhere" (with Lawrence LT Thompson from Kiki Twins), on the other hand, is so plainly cheesy and excessive it might not sound out of place at the end of a Swedish House Mafia set. There are legitimate thrills to be had on both Electric Horizon and Features, albeit predictable and straightforward ones.
TracklistElectric Horizon
01. Falling Star
02. Trusting Me
03. Timeless
04. Efeel feat. koweSix
05. Fly Me To The Moon
06. Schnulzenspiel
07. Electric Horizon
08. Environs-Nous D’amour
09. Elove
10. Eglecy
11. We Are
12. Soulsurfer
Features
01. Lone Runner feat. Unai
02. Waiting For You feat. Black Hills
03. Hide Kris Menace feat. Miss Kittin
04. Voodoo Dilate (Samo) feat. Chelonis R Jones
05. Love Is Everywhere feat. Lawrence LT Thompson
06. Trusting Me feat. Robert
07. Higher Love feat. Julian Hamilton
08. Golden Ratio feat. Simon Lord
09. Meant For You feat. The Glass
10. Eye Opener feat. Xavier Naidoo
11. 2Nite4U feat. Romanthony
12. Starr feat. Thomas Gandey
13. The Grass Man feat. Dodgy