Attention Earth People: The Album,
Ben Stokes' second LP as
DHS, comes over a decade after the double-EP House of God -- one of the first records merging the clinical side of techno to the long tradition of hip-hop breaks records. Collecting productions spread out over the past seven years, it features much material in the same vein as House of God, which proves either that
Stokes was far ahead of the curve back in the late '80s or that he hasn't progressed much since. Actually, both have elements of truth. There's the rub, when function meets form; as with most breaks records, there's a lot of repetition and a reliance on scenarios cribbed from War of the Worlds or Twilight Zone knock-offs. But that's exactly what listeners expect from a breaks record, and
DHS is one of the best producers around. "Fascinating" is a great track, with tough beats and buzzing electricity, though the Mr. Spock sample ends up repeating the title a few dozen times too many. The title track does much the same, and that's the way it goes over the rest of the LP; solid tracks, but all in the same vein. [Tacked onto the end is an MPEG video for "Attention Earth People."] ~ John Bush