Stereo De Luxe - Monosyllabic

When it comes to crossover records a lot of the people that try to do it seem to fail miserably. Just take a listen to Chris Cornell’s latest solo record Scream for a prime example of what not to do with your music career. Thankfully, German based production duo Stereo De Luxe know how to cook a great recipe of upbeat pop and dance, coupled with some down tempo electro lounge for their new album Monosyllabic.

Starting with a remix of Aerocyclette, it shows that De Luxe are well abreast of their fun soundtrack tunes. Harmonising vocals on top of a driving beat sets up the album nicely. Guitar strums over some cool old school synth work. Lowbrow drops – unsurprisingly – low bass thumps, piano stabs with rhymes, with French lyrics and a wicked deep guitar riff. Aquacyclette is a lovely down tempo number to seal the album off in a fantastic style. Massive drum kicks over a warm loving bassline and synthesized keyboards. It’s the best track on the album and a great way to close the show.

There’s a wonderful crossover of genres and generations on this record. Each track contains a modern influence, but there are also subtle elements of old-school dance and pop rock making it thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a crossover record that deserves a place in your library regardless of how aged you think it might be.