Grzegorz Demianczuk and Wojtek Taranczuk have gained themselves almost hero-like status amongst Poland's Generation T (like techno) in the last few years. After getting their careers underway in the exact same fashion as most other DJs do in Poland and elsewhere, they went on to achieve what the vast majority of aspiring record spinners in their homeland can only dream about while in bed at night. In 2005, they released their first EP together with SLG (appropriately named 'Split') on Trenton. Later, the boys gave the world very popular, high quality releases on Trapez, Trenton and Crosstown Rebels. Bookings abroad steadily became more frequent, and the 3 Channels brand grew in popularity with each passing month. Hitting the big time with their remix of 'Who's Afraid Of Detroit?' (one of the most ubiquitous tracks of 2007 despite being limited to a release of only 400 copies on vinyl) brought with it acclaimed EPs for Leena and Dirty Bird under their new alias Catz N Dogz. Ultimately, the duo made contact with Claude VonStroke's Mothership label, which is where their first artist album ('Stars Of Zoo') will be released.
I have had the impression for some time now that the production team formerly known as 3 Channels' new found zoological fascinations have had a very positive effect on their output. After partially discarding the old, stripped down and more techy approach to making tracks that they made a name for themselves with, they turned their sights on putting out music that is easier on the ear and, in the end, a lot more accessible without completely breaking with their roots. The gents' music is just as diverse, dancefloor friendly and full of decent arrangements and solid ideas as it was before the switch, which, together with ever growing studio experience, makes for productions that simply keep getting better and better. And the lion's share of the numbers on 'Stars Of Zoo' are perfect examples. From start to finish – with the exception of the boring and flat out weird 'Kill The Frog – your tour of the Channels' sonic zoo will more than likely be a pleasurable experience. Right after entering the main gate you''ll come across a collaboration between the Poles and the French super trio dOP. 'Sunset In The East' is a fine example of what collabs should sound like – neither of the two groups' highly characteristic styles overshadow one another by meshing together perfectly, the end result of which is a highly memorable piece of music.
There is no lack of down right wild and party – oriented moments on the CD either, the most notable being the percussive monster 'My Zoo Is Your Zoo'. You'll also find the extremely rare specimen (in dance music, at least) that is the skit on the LP, and a track that sounds a bit like an experiment to see if seemingly polar sounds (which include cats moewing) can in fact be pieced together on one track in the form of 'Yes They Still Play Casio'. However, the best tracks on the album are the deepest ones and those that can be listened to with undying delight regardless of whether it is day or night: the second from last 'Kaniani' and yet another collaboration (this time with Monty Luke), 'Confused'.
All in all, it would be almost impossible to count how many times up and coming artists have fallen into the trap of doing nothing more than exactly duplicating what they are know for from their EPs and singles on debut artist albums. Deeop and Ketiov have succeeded in avoiding this pitfall by a country mile. Which is precisely why I can recommend this album to pretty much everyone with a clean conscience.
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