Kaskade - Strobelight Seduction

Genre electronica Publisher Ultra Records External Links Kaskade Website Kaskade MySpace

I usually have trouble connecting to house music. To me, it's too plastic and remote, lacking a humanity that's found in other forms of music. On top of that, the majority of the genre is clogged with a homogeneous sound, which seems to highlight the 'house sound' rather than the artists who create it; this would explain why most DJs and producers fail to pass muster and make it into the top echelons of the house industry.

So I was skeptical when I received DJ/producer Kaskade's latest album, Strobelite Seduction. He's been hailed as one of the top house DJs/producers in the industry, with a string of awards and nominations to his credit, and a flair for making the house sound his own.

Strobelite Seduction was definitely a welcome surprise to me. I went in expecting to hear the same old party line and came out with something entirely different - a refreshing album that remains faithful to the tenets of house music while simultaneously pushing the boundaries.

The album opens with "Move for Me," a prime example of first-rate house music - throbbing synths, otherworldly vocals, backed by a steady array of beats. This track is sure to be a hit in clubs across the country, compelling club-goers to move and groove on the dancefloor.

Even in the midst of the pulse-pounding beats and smooth, lush walls of sound that characterize house music, Kaskade manages to reach beyond the world of samples, synthesizers, and turntables to touch our humanity and our emotions. While songs like "Move for Me" and "Back On You" are definite party numbers, tracks like "Pose" are solemn and almost funereal in their pacing and murmuring instrumentation. Like most of the other cuts on the album, "Pose" is full of hip-shaking energy. Yet, the lyrics raise the song beyond a typical dance number to touch on the bittersweet emotions that come with a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one.

"I Remember" bears a resemblance to Radiohead's work on Kid A, particularly in the ever-expansive synth riff that underpins the song (though it's safe to say this song isn't a Kid A ripoff. After all, Radiohead borrowed from various genres, including house music, on Kid A). Like "Pose," "I Remember" sidesteps the typical sugarcoated lyrics to give a thought-provoking message that goes beyond inciting you to hit the dancefloor.

Indeed, the most startling aspect of this album is how the songs sound similar and different at the same time. Deep, soothing synths and pulsating beats run throughout the album; however, Kaskade has a genius for taking these basic materials and spinning them around so that each song can stand out as a unique creation on the album.

This genius is most evident on "Your Love Is Black," the song that closes out the album. Kaskade pushes the synthesizers and four-on-the-floor beats in the background here, opening the centerstage to enchanting guitars, textured orchestral arrangements, and unadorned vocals that drip with soul. In fact, the song almost seems out of place on the album because it shares more in common with soul and R&B than house.

I only wish Kaskade had been as wildly innovative on the rest of Strobelite Seduction as he was on "Your Love Is Black." He forged new ground with this song, providing a fresh approach to combining house music with other genres.

Nevertheless, Strobelite Seduction is still an album that isn't afraid to take chances. It's a laidback, catchy, and, at times, surprisingly human album, which is more than I can say for most of the house music out there.