CD Review

Artist: Junkie XL

Title: Booming Back At You

Label: Artwerk/Nettwerk

Released: March 11^th 2008

Advisory: Explicit Lyrics

3 ½ Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey 

Always at the cutting edge of time, space and sound; electronica dance music guru Junkie XL has released his fifth studio album from fledgling Electronic Arts and Nettwerk Record Label known as Artwerk. If you need some fine dance music, hunt this album out, as you can blare it full pelt and get the much coveted dance scene feeling anywhere in the world. 

Junkie XL manages to blend old school techno with ultra-futuristic sound waves, and a tribal beat that will have your veins pulsing in caveman (woman) unison. So dust the dance shoes off grab a partner and dance to Junkie XL's newest album Booming Back To You. 

Hot on the L.A. Dance club scene, Junkie XL has remixed for the likes of Coldplay, Britney Spears, Scissor Sisters, Justin Timberlake and Sarah McLachlan. If you don't think a blast from the past of techno is hip anymore, at least they do.

Junkie XL does a completely great cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees ‘Cities In Dust,' and a track called ‘Zage' which hits the neuro-system with a serious attack. The song ‘More,' which is why the album requires a parental advisory, and is also known as ‘The Pac Man Song,' is sure to be a big hit at dance clubs around the world, with its echoes of Britney Spears song ‘Gimmie Gimmie' as a similar beat base line to it.

However, the best tracks that come from Booming Back To You are where Junkie XL collaborates. ‘Mad Pursuit' featuring Electrocute is a dynamic song that sounds like Blondie meets electronica; very sultry! In ‘No Way' Junkie XL collaborates with Lauren Rocket, which sounds like a 90s techno inspired Gwen Stefani; incredibly cool to listen to. Simply put Junkie XL, excels on his own, but he also plays well with others, gold stars all around.

Booming Back to You by Junkie XL is just what the dance floor needs an exhilarating surge from. We've had far too many ‘posing songs' at dance clubs (you know what I mean...whose bringing sexy back?) and its time to get the raw style of Junkie XL's electronica dance music back to the floor, so we can actually, exhaustedly, dance the night away.

1. Booming Right at You

2. Cities in Dust

3. You Make Me Feel So Good

4. Stratosphere

5. Mad Pursuit

6. More

7. 1967 Poem

8. Zage

9. Clash

10. New Toy

11. No Way

12. Not Enough