Mixing dubstep, electro, old-school video game music, and futuristic bits of
Giorgio Moroder, Australia's
Knife Party offer up a short, tight blast of EBM excitement on
Rage Valley, an EP that just crosses the 18-minute mark. That's the biggest caveat, as the EP should thrill those who enjoy
Skrillex,
Deadmau5, and the like, especially if they wish those dubsteppers would play it more "Euro," which
Knife Party certainly do. All the layered sequencers and bright melodies point to
Moroder, Italo-disco, and stadium techno, but underneath
Knife Party bring that stuttering stomp and those woofer-blowing basslines. "Bonfire" goes all the way back to classic jungle and drum'n'bass rhythms for its underlying boom, while "Sleaze" is right up to the times with its congas and very 2012 borrowing of the moombahton beat. Throughout it all, there's the feeling that lasers and starships are both shooting out of the speakers, but it's all over quickly, so expect to be more teased than satiated. ~ David Jeffries