Soulwax - Essential [2LP]

There's an explanatory introduction to the album that lets us know it took only two weeks to create in their studio. This may not be that unusual on a 'normal' mix but here, where they have created this entirely new piece of music, it proves to be quite incredible. The mix veers between heavy electro, semi-industrial bleeps and beats through to more laid back house and polished EDM tracks.

Vocalist Charlotte Adigery features on 'Essential Four' providing a silky foil to an already chic soundtrack. It's smooth and luxuriant in equal measure with an air of French sophistication about it. 'Essential One' is more subversive and underground, working its way through static transmissions to deliver a darker backdrop where as 'Essential Six', the longest track on the album, takes a lighter stance with echoed, vocoder enhanced vocals and revolving percussive touches.

Through drum machines and synth enhancements, manipulated vocals and some incredibly creative soundbites, Soulwax have managed to make an album from inception to realisation from the slimmest of ideas. They themselves called the idea of making the music for the mix, instead of using existing material, an "unwise decision" but as it turns out they were inspirational in doing so and it's "something [they] ended up being very proud of."