Lowriders Deluxe: Future Deluxe
Symbolic Interaction

Somewhat of a stylistic departure for Symbolic Interaction, Lowriders Deluxe's Future Deluxe situates itself within an expansive IDM-oriented realm populated by labels such as U-cover, Boltfish, Rednetic, and Benbecula. That's not too surprising given the individuals involved, with Lowriders Deluxe a quartet comprising keyboardists Mark Streatfield (Zainetica) and Joseph Auer and guitarists Clive Burns and Simon Thomas. The group's cited influences extend from Cocteau Twins and Tangerine Dream to Parliament-Funkadelic and Ministry, though Future Deluxe sonically evidences considerably more of the former than the latter (with the material's spacey vibe reinforced by titles such as “Offworld Colonies” and “Lost Probe”). With four like-minded players involved in a genre context where most configurations involve one or two players, it's no surprise either that the resultant sound is lush: think multi-tiered IDM iridescence characterized by epic swirls of chiming keyboards and percussive flow. At times a beatific ambient oasis is captured (“Autumn Sunset”) and at others high-velocity pulsation, as when pounding kick drums propel the space shuttle gleam of “Futura Industria,” “Chrome Yellow,” and “Interlude” through heavily congested galaxies. It's at such times, when the group pairs its synthetic sparkle with the punch of a hefty bottom end, that Future Deluxe impresses most.

May 2008