CD Reviews

Boys Noize

Oi Oi Oi | Last Gang

By ANDREW GRAHAM | January 7, 2008

3.0 Stars

With Oi Oi Oi, German DJ and remix wunderkind Alex Ridha (a/k/a Boys Noize) throws his gauntlet onto the dance floor in a challenge to accessibility. Boyz Noize eschews the poppy tunes and the catchy hooks of peers like Justice and Daft Punk; Ridha’s austere gestalt at times evokes classic Arthur Baker electro. But whereas Baker/Bambaataa’s classic “Planet Rock” added a melody line — lifted from German synth pioneers Kraftwerk — to complement the track’s sparse, driving beat, Ridha’s “The Battery” lets its (quite similar) beat dominate, unsupported by any melodic crutch. And though the chorus of Justice’s poppy hit “D.A.N.C.E.” was an exhortation, the “Dance, dance, dance” refrain in “& Down” feels more like a command. Bedroom DJs and floor-filling club spinners have probably worn this disc out and are on to the next sensation, but aficionados and connoisseurs of dance music qua dance music will find Oi Oi Oi a potent, concentrated dose of the undiluted pure stuff.

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