(Supercharged/Inertia)

On this, the third offering from breaks messiah Skool of Thought (Lloyd to his nearest and dearest) the sound is decidedly funky and frenziedly fantabulous. This prolific producer has waved his magic wand and come up with an aggressive bunch of tunes designed for dancers that take a meander through a fairly recent back catalogue of big break successes. Known for his complex, layered tunes and ear for what the people want to hear, Skool delivers this album into the arms of a curious and anticipatory public.

For a synth-etic groove, look no further than the dirty little Party People from Christian J and Dylan Rhymes. It ain’t hard to imagine the mind fuck this tune would deliver in the wee hours of the morning, with its staccato, layered lyrics and hand-wringing distortion. This is followed by the vocally driven My Style, featuring a “womp, womp, womp” sort of sound we breaks fans hold so dear to our hearts, which segues into a crazy big band disco kind of vibe and back again. No Man’s Land, which claws the edge of the precipice occupied by that annoying little mixing bear, Flat Eric, of times gone by, almost rescues itself with an interesting little wibbly electro bit in the middle, but is blown out of the water by the ever popular Funky Town, Mr Thought’s own, terribly popular concoction.

Wasn’t such a fan of Hold Up – a tune to sit and take a breather to, or perhaps a backdrop while replenishing your seventh vodka tonic – and I remain endlessly skeptical about remixes of the Freestylers’ Push Up (it is the worst song on their new album, by far) but Crooked is pretty good fun. Hot Rock Boy gets even better, all hypnotic vocals and speedy beats over more good old fashioned “womp, womp-ing”.

The dubiously named Carpet Muncha goes all psychedelic Bob for a moment or two, with an apparent nod to the sweaty confines of mad trancey and noisy clubs, complete with weird, wigging out samples. Well, it was produced in Brighton after all! Sound Check gets things all dark and windy again and The Devil is rather creepy with a blend of goth-pop vocals and frenetic, high pitched squeaks. Warrior Charge is more ragga party in Central London park than call to arms, which makes sure, with the addition of Scam, that the mood finishes on a good ol’ block party high!

This is an offering that will please Skool’s thoughtful fans (ha!) who will appreciate the range of tunes and efforts to create a layered sound. If enough people buy it, maybe he will even come back again and treat us to another marvellous show or two! Don’t tell me you still need convincing?