Generalisation (Deluxe Edition)

It's not easy being part of the big-beat elite. By the time 2000 runs around, you're ignored by the electronic aristocracy, shunned like an illegitimate son at a Thanksgiving dinner party, and expected to sound exactly like Fatboy Slim. Yet under his nom de plume of Midfield General, Skint label owner and musician Damian Harris takes the "who gives a toss" approach to create a moody, antsy collection of breaks, beats, and a steadfast refusal to die. Luckily, music loves an iconoclast. One of the first warning signs of a quality comeback in the world of big beat was most assuredly Harris' own On the Floor at the Boutique, Vol. 3 mix album because much like that mix, Generalisation retains the unpretentious breakbeats and infectious eclecticism that made big beat such a good idea in the first place. Over here, for example, "General of the Midfield" combines a swishing house beat with pogo-ing bass licks. Or even close by, "Stigs in Love" goes from high keyboard notes and then slowly mutates into a jungle-influenced monster. Both songs certainly show how so much other dance music is tragically conservative. However, not all is as effective. One aspect of the album that one has to quickly become acclimated to is its odd shift of moods. From the fantastic thumps of the old favorite "Devil in Sports Casual" to the cartoonish electro-pulses of "Ricky 39" to the odd fatherly addendum of "Birthday," the album feels uncertain what mood to keep bouncing off of within its own time constraints. As if to prove the point, "Reach Out" — the song a scant three tracks in — is Generalisation's summit. It should remind listeners of the inventive nostalgia of songs like Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" or Groove Armada's "At the River," yet it wisely avoids the former's idiosyncratic nature and the latter's melodrama. Linda Lewis' vocals keep cycling to new heights as Harris keeps the song's expressive musical character building until everything has an emotive sheen. Which all helps make Generalisation a follow-up uppercut to Harris' On the Floor at the Boutique comeback punch. A dignified (albeit erratic) album that renews big beat's varied personality as well as its emotional potential. [A Japanese version added a bonus track.]