Lab Rat XL ‎- Mice Or Cyborg

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  • Clone has reissued Mice Or Cyborg, the final album in Drexciya's string of seven "storm" albums, a few times since its 2003 release, but none have felt more timely than its latest dusting off. High-profile reissues of the James Stinson classics Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café and Sunday Night Live At The Laptop Cafe (a split EP with Mystic Tribe A.I., or DJ Stingray), plus the Drexciya album Grava 4, have led to another round of fresh interest in his legacy. Renewed interest means fresh analysis, and many words have been spent discussing the meaning of track titles, vocals and samples across Drexciya's discography. But compared with, say, Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café, Mice Or Cyborg offers little fresh insight into the Drexciya universe. Stinson passed away in September 2002, months before its 2003 release, so the tracks went untitled. These generic names—"Lab Rat 1," "Lab Rat 2"—contrast with the considered titles found across the rest of Drexciya's discography, many of which reference the Afrofuturist fantasy central to their aesthetic. The black and white, text-only artwork doesn't give much away, either, unlike the subtle visual hints of albums like Neptune's Lair and Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café. More than ever, there's a focus on music, which in Mice Or Cyborg's case is an especially varied techno and electro album. The album's centrepiece, "Lab Rat 3," could be the funkiest tune Stinson ever produced. Melodic and bouncy, there's a harmony to its whining synth notes and jazzy bassline, which combine to create a mood—hopeful yet melancholic—similar to some found in Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café, arguably Stinson's most revealing release. The tangle of screeches and bleeps is dense, but licks of melody break from the mess. It's a masterful track, always morphing but never losing its upbeat groove. There's also plenty of melody across the rest of the album, heavy in tracks like "Lab Rat 1" and "Lab Rat 4," both of which have a soft, ethereal touch. A halftime stumble and blasts of haze make "Lab Rat 4" feel like an inspiration for Ilian Tape's broken techno sound, injecting warmth into a sparse and chilly frame. The more chaotic "Lab Rat 2" and "Lab Rat 5" skew towards darker moods, hammering and hissing with urgency. Mice Or Cyborg might be the most mysterious Drexciya album, but it's also the most accessible. Full of warmth and funk, it's a captivating final transmission from a dance music visionary.
  • Tracklist
      01. Lab Rat 1 02. Lab Rat 2 03. Lab Rat 3 04. Lab Rat 4 05. Lab Rat 5 06. Lab Rat 6
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