ARIL BRIKHA EX MACHINA ALBUM PEACEFROG RELEASE: JULY 30, 2007 REVIEW: AUGUST 20, 2007

Swedish electro/techno is pretty hip these days, with names such as Eric Prydz, Adam Beyer, Joel Mull, Özgur Can, David West etc doing quite well for themselves. Aril Brikha is another Swede who sailed onto my radar after I read a review of his “Winter” 12” in IDJ Magazine, and the full length “Ex Machina” is now spinning quite a lot in my player.

If you like groovy techno beats, fat basslines, airy strings, trippy sequences and monotone moods, this is for you. It’s very danceable, but at the same time it’s excellent music for writing reviews.

Aril claims he’s brought up on Depeche Mode and Nitzer Ebb, but this might not be immediately obvious in his music, except maybe in “Kind of Nitzer”, a fast number with a cool bassline destined for the dance floor.

The album is not wildly varied, but it’s got a great flow to it. It keeps its head high, and follows the quality streak from the Swedish techno artists.

JOHAN CARLSSON