First Mike Sheridan and now Electrojuice – the future (and present) of Danish electronica is in very good hands. Following two years of steadily growing hype and support gigs for The Prodigy and Kraftwerk, expectations to Mads Kolding and Jakob Littauer’s debut release could not have been much higher. Fortunately for the young guns and everybody who’s been talking them up, they haven’t choked on them.

Minimalist at heart, ‘Solrock’ (named after a Pokemon) is a detailed mood enhancer fitting after sunset activities more than daytime ditto, kicking techno, ambient and dubstep around in the mix handled by Tomas Barfod (Filur, Tomboy, WhoMadeWho). It’s melodic, somber yet uplifting, monotone yet varied, and generally quite fetching.

Guest appearances by rapper Negash Ali (single ‘Perfect’) and Troels Abrahamsen (‘Cyoh’) both add and don’t. Ali’s throaty vocal is a perfect match, but Abrahamsen’s characteristic voice – and the choice to make it so dominant in the mix – overshadows Electrojuice, making it feel and sound like something Abrahamsen could’ve done. And even though it doesn’t suck, it kinda defeats the purpose.

Kolding and Littauer have become much more secure and diverse in their expression and style since their beginning, but personally I do miss a bit of the dark, noisy aggression that had me excited about their earlier works and remixes. That said, ‘Solrock’ is a solid debut release, calling for continued high expectations to Electrojuice.

Genre: Electronica
Who: Electrojuice
Album: Solrock
Label: VUF Records/Playground Music
Year: 2009
Country: Denmark
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Lunatone – Panpan – Chopper – Perfect