Tranceology

Talla 2XLC has had quite the career. Long associated with industrial, techno, and trance, he has been ignored by the underground for playing it too straight and he's never recorded anything sparkling and slick enough for the mainstream. A collection of his work in trance, Tranceology shows the artist could benefit from some innovative ideas, but he's restrained enough for those who prefer a less garish style. It's probably his background in industrial dance that makes so much of Talla 2XLC's music lean toward the darker side of dance. He never gets "goth," but dark tunes like "America," "Revolution," and "Poison" bridge the gap between Front 242 and Paul Oakenfold. A lot of the music recalls a time when anything electronic you could dance to — outside of disco and house — was called techno. The lack of being married to a genre is nice to hear because Tranceology rarely falls prey to clichés. Sure, there's the stern voice that reads you the title of the song with a huge echo, but it doesn't happen that often and Talla was there when the device was invented. He's not an empty-headed follower at all; just don't expect to be knocked over with innovative twists and turns. The Hypnotic label rarely exercises much care in their presentation and packaging, but the booklet and liner notes included show more of an effort than usual.