Party Store

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Nearly ten years after their critically-acclaimed album Ultraglide in Black helped kick-start a renewed interest in all things Detroit and rock n roll, The Dirtbombs release the de facto companion piece entitled Party Store. Where Ultraglide was a covers collection of 60s and 70s soul gems centered on the ideas of African-American identity and politics of the era that made an impression on a young, pre-musical Mick Collins as he listened to them on 45s in the family basement, Party Store is an assortment of live-band interpretations of classic Detroit techno music of the 80s and early 90s songs Collins digested as they were originally released, when he was already making waves with garage-punk legends The Gories. The subject matter runs the gamut from materialistic future-disco braggadocio ( Sharevari, originally by A Number of Names) to cold, post-industrial isolation ( Alleys of Your Mind, originally by Cybotron) through the instrumental optimism of a worldwide house classic ( Strings of Life, originally by Derrick May). All these themes encapsulate the climate of Detroit both now and at the time of their initial release. Let it be said clearly: this record addresses both the past and the future of Detroit. The players recreation of the sequenced, digital rhythms and melodies stems from an Oblique Strategies card pulled during the recordings: Humanize something that is without error. They do so with a crisp, krautrock-like precision on originals that all featured drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers. The two clear standout tracks are Good Life and Bug in the Bass Bin. Collins recontextualizes the upbeat modern dance élan of the former, originally by Kevin Saunderson via his Inner City outfit, to echo with post-punk zeal as the zest of doubled harmonies resonates throughout. Bass Bin (originally by Carl Craig as Innerzone Orchestra) features modular synthesizer programming by Craig himself and is the album s pièce de résistance. Clocking in at more than 21 minutes, the track s original light jazz underpinnings are diffused into a martial, militaristic backbeat coupled with fire-raining feedback screes from Collins s trusty Kent guitar.

REVIEW
Certainly sure to be among the most curious releases of this year come December’s look back at all that’s been, The Dirtbombs’ fifth long-player finds the Mick Collins-fronted Detroit garage-rockers presenting their takes on hometown techno tracks from the 80s and 90s. It’s not completely virgin territory for the raucous quintet – a decade ago, their Ultraglide on Black album collected covers of soul and funk classics including cuts originally by Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone and George Clinton. But Party Store is rather braver than its similarly conceived predecessor – this really is taking some established dancefloor-fillers into new stylistic realms, and not always successfully.

But toss scepticism and sour-faces to the wind and much of Party Store is every bit as perky as the stock you’d hope to find in such an emporium – frankly, one’s next call would be to Trading Standards should the case prove otherwise. Inner City’s Good Life is one of the most immediately recognisable of these nine offerings, sticking as it does to the 1988 track’s basic structure – upbeat and instant, insistent but embracing. While the Kevin Saunderson-penned original scaled rather greater highs of euphoria, there’s no doubt that The Dirtbombs tackle the piece with great gusto. Strings of Life – a worldwide smash for Derrick May’s Rhythim is Rhythim, first released in 1987 – is another cornerstone of the dance world that few acts would be advised to approach with their own ideas. But, again, Collins and company do the right thing, recontextualising the piece without obscuring its heart or soul.

The 20-minute slog of Bug in the Bassbin might feature contributions from Carl Craig himself, but the Innerzone Orchestra version’s snappy percussion and endearing elan is absent, and the track’s placement – six of nine – rather detracts from the album’s rhythm. The Dirtbombs do a good job of keeping the listener on their toes for the first half of Party Store, but ruin their good work by asking too much of attentions suited to rather shorter offerings. Placing Bug… at the end of this set might well have improved the overall flow of proceedings. And it’d be a shame if the number put anyone off reaching this record’s end, as Tear the Club Up does just that, an inclusive pogo-along that’s somehow fists-in-face and silly grins at the same time. Breathless but desperate for more, it’s The Dirtbombs in a nutshell – an unexpectedly moreish, bizarrely techno-inspired nutshell.

--Mike Diver

Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window

Number of Discs: 1

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.