Aelters – Archilds’ com.undo 7.1

Dat Politics lost child creates his own music on this release. It is similar to Dat Politics, if Dat Politics became more hyper active. You probably can’t keep up with the amount of energy he releases, but it is worth trying.

                Right from the get-go “k no p” you’re treated to his method: fast beats, broken up attempts at melody. These usually fail. That’s ok. His cut-ups of children's (his own) infuse a little humanity into the otherwise purely digital environment. Only “jestood” comes close to have a full-fledged melody. The weird noise approximates Goodiepal in a more conventional pop sense.

                Funk is all over the place. Emeric Aelter possess a good sense of rhythm, though he tries his best to destroy it at times. Listening to the music, you begin to understand why he left Dat Politics. Occasionally his music feels a bit too broken, especially considering Dat Politics’ later move towards accessibility.

                Still, despite the sometimes difficult nature of the album, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It remains a cheerful guest in your mind.

Dat Politics – Mad Kit 8.6

A trio of weird French people hailing from Lille, France. Old-time computers are played, and you can hear that in the glorious 8-bit sound employed. Usually chiptune artists are more obsessed with the sound than with actual composition, but Dat Politics deftly avoids this common problem.

They’re been around since the early 00s, so they’ve slowly morphed from being esoteric loud, poppy noise (Villager, Tracto Flirt) to fully embracing their pop sensibilities. See “M.A.D.K.I.T” and “bad dream machine” for examples of pure, uncut wholesome goodness. Often the album plays like some hyper active children’s program, complete with colorful noises and simple melodies.

Originally they avoided lyrics and singing, focusing purely on instrumentals. Now I’ve grown to love their off vocal delivery. And they’ve also tackled a little bit of dance, something they hadn’t really touched on before, mostly because they move too fast. Perhaps hummingbirds would be able to dance to their average song. “Own Thing” parts 1 and 2 allow for a little breathing room, and showing how they have created something far more interesting than Crystal Castles ever has.

It has been almost 9 years since I first heard them, and I’ve happy to say that each release gets them a little closer to normalcy. At some point I’d like them to leave the French electro-pop wilderness and be embraced by the giant crowd of cool kids.

PS. Please come back to the US. We miss you here. You rocked at Tonic. I heart you!

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