Wave of Light By Wave of Light

Back when his modus operandi consisted of intercepting and sampling mobile phone conversations and his music was more conceptual than emotive, Robin Rimbaud called himself Scanner. The fact that he's now added "funk" as a suffix to his stage name can safely be taken as a hint. And although "funk" is definitely a relative term in this case, on Wave of Light by Wave of Light he definitely does show more interest in at least the theoretical possibility of booties being shaken in response to his music. That's not to say that he's left his brain at home under the bed. On "I Am Calm," he comes on like a techno-fried Steve Reich, whereas "Cosy Veneer" layers synthetic vocals, almost melodic sampled percussion, and faint funk guitar over a very vaguely defined bassline. "Red Stone Sun" is probably the funkiest single entry here, a digitally spare but strangely organic-sounding combination of hip-hop breakbeats and buzzing synth. "Spinique" finds him getting all house-y with it, wedding a simple keyboard obbligato and thudding techno beat to laid-back chord washes. Not bad at all.