Children At Play

An especially playful, two-song epic from Ben Jacobs, showcasing more than just the drill 'n' bass style that electronic music embraced in the mid- to late '90s. This is Max Tundra's first release on the always-ambitious Warp label, and serves as an especially promising showcase for the work that would follow on his future full-length LPs. These lengthy songs chirp and buzz around the ears like a candy-colored wasp, and sometimes they come dangerously close to striking distance. Some passages in the title track hint at the funk-soul jungle riffs of "Squarepusher," and a couple of indulgent keyboards solos land straight in your lap for careless abandon, only to throw listeners back into the blender for more tireless snare-rush clusters. The second piece, "Clive's Folly," doesn't incorporate as much variety, but stutters along with electric piano fingerings, and no less intensity. Both tracks wind the listener up, but it's too dense and fast-paced for the dancefloor. Rephlex Records coined the term "braindance," and this EP seems especially fitting. Jacobs throws so many hyperactive spins on the ears, you barely know how you got from one place to the next. Depending on your mood (and your attention span), this CD is either challenging or brilliant, but never boring.