After their debut mix album earned notices as one of the best balances of breaks and attitude since
the Chemical Brothers released their first LP,
Plump DJs were primed to blow up with the production album
Eargasm. Despite an excellent start, though, this record won't make fans forget their earliest work. Surprisingly, the tracks on
Eargasm are breaks-by-numbers, exactly the type of productions that, several years earlier, the duo had habitually remixed into remarkable, unique tracks. Walking on the stage to the strains of (a sample from) the finest funk band of all time, the mighty
Kool & the Gang, the pair begin on "Creepshow" setting the energy level at a point they have trouble maintaining: subsequent tracks "The Funk Hits the Fan," "In Stereo," and "In the Gate" are distinctive and paced well, but they lack the energy and creativity that made A Plump Night Out so special. ~ John Bush