TUSSLE

Tussle's early output on Troubleman Unlimited proved to be quite a hit with tastemakers like John Peel and Trevor Jackson. Now, a few years down the line the group have lost one of their founding members (oddly, Vetiver's Andy Cabic used to play bass for the band) but have honed their modernised take on disco and rhythm music, with Telescope Mind achieving an immensely successful blend of experimental techniques and pop minimalism. After the brief, introductory piece, 'Lyre', 'Warning' comes across like a lost ESG instrumental, it's ultra-tight groove perfectly proportioned and filled out with the barest synth passages. Next up, 'Second Guessing' is reminiscent of !!!'s most recent work without the stadium rock tendencies. It's not all disco-centric however, 'Cloud Melodie' takes its cues from the krautrock of bands like Cluster and 'Flicker/33.3' is a revision of old-school funk, horns 'n' all. The final track, 'Pow!' proves to be something rather special, a tour de force of drums and elaborate percussion on which Tussle are assisted by Sal Principato and Dennis Young of the legendary Liquid Liquid.