Comprised of songwriter / vocalist Rochelle Vincente and producer Marc Adamo, Brighton, UK-based electro / breaks duo Product.01 have made significant ripples amongst the UK breaks scene over the past several years, with a steady stream of 12”s released through labels including Compost, as well as remixes for artists including Freeland, Larry Tee and Husky Rescue. In the process they’ve also managed to inject an often-missed element of human personality into the often quite anonymous breaks scene, their female-fronted live set-up introducing some atypically lively visual performance elements and a fresh counterpoint to the predominantly male cast of producers working amongst the genre. After an extended wait, ‘Bullet Ride’ marks the emergence of Product.01’s anticipated debut album, and while many of the big tracks previously released on 12” over the last couple of years are certainly present here, on the whole it’s an album that shows Vincente and Adamo astutely sidestepping the rapidly sinking breaks ship in favour of a collection that shows their explorations diversifying into new stylistic territory; in this case house, electro-pop and downbeat atmospheres.

‘Access’, Product.01’s previously-released studio collaboration with NYC electroclash king Larry Tee opens this collection on a streamlined electro-house note that carries more than a hint of Giorgio Moroder-esque rolling analogue synth funk in the sequences that roll beneath the punching pneumatic rhythms, Vincente’s dubbed-out vocals adding an element of tease as rave-y distorted synthlines rise up in the mix. By contrast, the industrial-edged ‘Hot Trap’ comes across as a dead-ringer for ‘Black Cherry’-era Goldfrapp with its skipping ‘Strict Machine’-style steel plate beats and buzzing distorted analogue synth bass, and while it’s certainly an interesting and worthwhile moment that certainly shows off the ingenue side of Vincente’s vocals, it’s unfortunately overshadowed somewhat by the looming reference points. ‘Heart Ov Glass’ meanwhile shows Vincente and Adamo taking on the Blondie classic with a reworking that retools things towards twinkling minimalist electro-pop with surprisingly successful results (though the slightly queasy pitchshifted vox may irk some), before the downbeat ‘Melts’ offers up what’s easily one of this album’s most intriguing moments, layering a deep, bass-heavy electro-dub backdrop beneath squelching synth bursts and contorted glitchiness as Vincente’s timestretched and delayed-out vocals trail eerily through the electronics.

‘Radius’ represents a similar venture into ambient downbeat territory, but while it certainly conjures up an intriguing fusion of sparse tinkling rhythms and shimmering synthetic textures, in many ways it’s again overshadowed, this time by the looming influence of Bjork, the contrasting blend of minimalist beats and broad sweeping orchestral chords calling to mind the approach seen on Ms. Gudmundsdottir’s ‘Homogenic’ album in particular. The expansive ‘Changing Rooms’ fares far better, with a sadly all too brief venture into minimal techno that places shuffling broken rhythms beneath distant pulsing bass pads as Vincente’s treated vocals swoop and howl through the mix (in truth it’s my favourite track here), while ‘Symbionic’ shows that the breaks heads don’t miss out entirely on a little action here, with laser-gun zaps and explosions thundering alongside a chunky undercarriage of breakbeats and dark electro synths, Vincente’s icy vocals adding just the right undercurrent of suitably robotic tension.

‘Bullet Ride’ certainly represents a more than capable debut album from Product.01 that’s sure to satisfy fans of the various 12”s that have preceded it and also shows Vincente and Adamo gearing their productions in a variety of diverse new stylistic directions. While it’s a slight pity that so much of the tracklisting here is composed of previously released 12” tracks, conversely it offers those who don’t pick up vinyl with the chance to find out what all the fuss is about. Some of the influences here may be uncomfortably close to the surface at times, but this diverse collection certainly shows Product.01 moving closer towards their own distinct sound, one that certainly offers a serious kick to the disturbingly stale breaks scene.

Check out www.product01.co.uk and www.freshlysqueezedmusic.com