Once in a while you come across an album that makes you stand up and pay attention to the current state of dance music and popular culture in general. This is definitely NOT one of those albums…

With a collaboration list as long as my arm, I introduce DJ Mehdi, who single-handedly made me fall asleep whilst listening to this CD. The second time round wasn’t much better either, and although I stayed awake, I wasn’t impressed or interested. The new and innovative method in which fellow Ed Banger labelmates Justice, Sebastian, Mr. Oizo or even stretching as far back as Daft Punk present their music is severely lacking, and although Daft Punk aren’t necessarily signed to Ed Banger, they reportedly collaborated with Mehdi once upon a time. Though I’m yet to hear the proof.

This release sounds like the type of music that you make in your bedroom. You know the kind, with a rippped off version of Reason you aren’t sure how to use, and weird hip hop sounds that seem good at the time. Sure you’ve made a loop, but how do you make a song? Take a leaf from DJ Mehdi’s book, continually and progressively add elements until the crescendo, then fade out the entire mix. Done! You’ve got an album! Call it ‘Lucky Boy’, because you are… after all, you got a big fat advance for making it!

That’s not to say there aren’t good tracks on the album, like, for instance, the 808 electro-b-boy infused ‘Saharian Break’, complete with ‘Apache’ bongo loops. It’s quite reminiscent of a time I wasn’t around, which is OK, because neither was DJ Mehdi. He seems quite happy to bastardize the classics of hip hop with songs like ‘I Am Somebody’, taken from the lyrics of a Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five track, or the four minute looping of what sounds like Kelis’ two words from ‘Bossy’ – “That’s right!”

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Ed Banger Records. I like it when white boys try to make ‘funky music’ it comes out all weird, kind of like Cher on acid playing guitar through a distortion pedal. But when black guys try to make electro, it just doesn’t work. Sure, Felix da Housecat’s ‘Silver Screen’ was OK, but ‘Watching Cars Go By’ was as boring as the title dictates. The same applies to DJ Mehdi’s album ‘Lucky Boy’. He certainly will be a lucky boy if anyone buys this…