Rating:
Genre:
Electronica
Release Date: 10/06/1998
Luke Vibert, one of Europe's more prolific electronic masterminds, slips into his
Wagon Christ alter ego once again and comes through with one of his more accessible efforts.
Tally Ho! doesn't have the personality-driven energy of
Prodigy or
the Chemical Brothers' slam-bang theatrics, but that doesn't mean it's short on character by any means.
Vibert paints himself as a sly mixmaster with music that contains a smokiness quite different from the dark, misty shadows associated with the most familiar electronic noir. Instead, bursts of color appear in these dense, loungy compositions. The songs here branch out in various directions, whether it's
R&B beats giving way to
classical piano flourishes or swelling basslines embracing gurgling samples, robotic blips, and kabuki drums. Anyone lost in the thick, endless vines of
drum'n'bass will be surprised by these crisp, controlled soundscapes (its hour-long running time is modest by today's DJ standards). It's
Vibert's emphasis on the
R&B vibe that gives
Tally Ho! its definitive edge. Cool
jazz piano and ricocheting drum tracks surface, which would sound ideal nestled below sultry
hip-hop rhymes. If anything,
Vibert, a confessed
hip-hop fan, could really break barriers by bringing some of these otherworldly sounds to
rap's universe. Sly grooves on
"Fly Swat" and
"Memory Towel" are ripe for swiping by sample-happy DJs.
~Jason Kaufman, All Music Guide
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