28 After

28 After presents an evil European inversion of Manhattan’s underground disco of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The message of unity and transcendence-through-dance expressed in the triumphant productions of Patrick Adams becomes the murky, sleazy suspicion of 28 After. If New York City disco was the sound of a city high on itself, 28 After is the music as re-imagined by KGB agents and S&M madams. Although its origins remain shrouded in mystery, the consensus says this is the work of one Bernard Fevre, a French library musician whose collaboration with partner Jackie Giordano entitled Disco Club in 1978 received “lost classic” status upon reissue by Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label in 2004. (The pair’s original moniker was Black Devil.) While the exact whereabouts of Giordano remain unknown (prison and/or death are the persistent rumors), he is believed to have crafted this follow-up in the wake of the of the Rephlex reissue's success: the title 28 After refers to the intervening time between the original album and this sequel. The sounds here are unforgettable as a cavalcade of grotesque and fantastic keyboards give the album its personality. At turns icy and torrid, there are noises here that seem to foretell the entire careers of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Singularly disturbing and irresistibly fun, 28 After is both a blueprint and an anomaly of sinister Euro-disco.