GD Luxxe: Make
Tigerbeat6
Gerhard Potuznik's reputation certainly precedes him. During the past decades , the Vienna-based Potuznik issued 12-inch discs with Patrick Pulsinger on the Cheap label, produced Chicks on Speed, and founded the Angelika Koehlermann imprint. Establishing GD Luxxe in 1999, he released material under the alias on labels like Suction and Detroit's Ersatz Audio prior to making his Tigerbeat6 debut with Make.
While the album's thirteen electronic-guitar songs range widely over electro, goth, and punk styles, the quality level fluctuates. The best songs come first: “Hands” a dark, convulsive electro groove punctuated by a jittery hammering accent, raw guitar elements, and Potuznik's breathy wail; and “IFY,” a dense, industrial electro-lurch with some nice contrast between a monotone verse delivery and a bright chorus. But it's only by the penultimate song, the hallucinatory and atmospheric “Your Highways,” that the album returns to that same quality level. Admittedly, there are some good moments in between: “Black Sand” escalates memorably to a powerful screaming roar, “Laserlight” is a decent enough electro-funk instrumental, and “Gift” offers a warped fusion of Motown rhythms, guitar stabs, and robotic vocals. In addition, “As We” crafts an ‘80s synth-robot vibe that vaguely recalls The Human League, while the softer delivery of “Profile” appeals, even if the electro-guitar sound recalls Depeche Mode. The quality level drops, however, when guitar raunch, desperate vocals, and conventional drum beats push “Brick” into T.Raumschmiere territory; both it and “Will” sully the better impression the collection might otherwise make.November 2005