Lord For £39

“Neil Landstrumm's unique brand of jittery, off-kilter broken beat grime and psychedelic dubstep is given a slightly grungy, lo-fi makeover on Lord for 39, his second offering on the Planet Mu label. Fans of his offbeat musical humor and stutteringly funky grooves will get a big kick out of the sounds he coaxes from his crappy analog gear, as well as the cameo appearances by artists like Si Begg, Ebola, Profisee, and the brilliant DJ Carlton Killawatt Valley, who turns the unfortunately titled Shit Daddy Bass into a brilliant slice of grimey dubstep-dancehall bashment. Little Help from Rustie (featuring Tobias Schmidt) brings in a more conventionally hip-swinging funk groove, while King of Malta is paradoxically glitchy and lighthearted. Nike Volume (which features a cameo by Edinburgh-based MC Profisee) is more house-based than usual, and very effective; Category D, on the other hand, suffers from an annoying nyah-nyah-nyah melody that its bouncy soca rhythm can't make up for. The album closes on a solidly positive note, though, with the excellent Ross Kemp as Pixel. Quirky, sometimes downright crazy, but almost always brilliant, Neil Landstrumm continues to blaze his own uniquely compelling trail through the thickets of contemporary techno.” ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide