STEVE BUG – NOIR

ARTIST: STEVE BUG

TITLE: NOIR

LABEL: POKER FLAT

Steve Bug, one of the world’s most renowned artists in the electronic music circuit, is set to release his fifth and most mature longplayer. ‘Noir’ doesn’t deny its roots, but expands the usual spectrum and invites the listener to an exciting listening pleasure. The title is ‘Noir’. The cover is dominated by the filmic aesthetics of light and shadow. The title evokes a world of shady transactions and secret crimes. Most of the tracks emit a suitably dark and moody atmo- sphere, with at least three directly referencing the film noir genre – From the well-known classic ‘The Spiral Staircase’, to more obscure ‘Somewhere in the Night’, and ‘The Seventh Victim’. Is ‘Noir’ a concept album? Originally it was planned that way, but in the end Steve found the concept too rigid.

The material for the new album was created over a period of three years, which makes its consistency and coherence all the more amazing. The mood is dark, spooked. Over the relentless beats and basslines ghostly sounds swirl and conspire. Although all the pieces are driven by head-rushing beats, ‘Noir’ is more than ever, a listening album.

Although the film noir concept isn’t carried through completely, it infuses the spirit of the record in a way reminicent of the sci-fi obsession of Jeff Mills or Carl Craig. In fact, ‘Noir’ could soundtrack a 21st Century ‘Blade Runner’ – tracks such as the pre-released sin- gle ‘Those Grooves’ and ‘No Adjustments’, with their evocative spoken word texts, play in to a vision of an apocalyptic-dystopian disco. ‘Noir’ is very much an electronic album. Richer than its predecessor, these tracks easily transcend the merely functional – Steve Bug has injected the harmonies with serious emotion. From the driving opener ‘Tell Me Why’ to the emotion- al closing track ‘The Seventh Victim’, Steve Bug has crafted a rounded, atmospheric album that throws a long and impressive shadow over most contemporary dance albums.

Release: 1st of October 2012.

Ranking: 8/10.