Psyence Fiction

by

UNKLE

Edit

Mo Wax records founder James Lavelle and DJ Shadow are the men from UNKLE, a collaborative project that began a few years ago, and the duo released its first full album "Psyence Fiction".It was one of the most anticipated albums of the year,thanks to the success of DJ Shadow's 1997 breakthrough album, Endtroducing...; Lavelle's notoriety as a remixer (Beck, the Verve, Radiohead) and talent scout (Shadow and Money Mark are Mo Wax artists); and a lineup of celebrity guests. Radiohead's Thom Yorke, the Verve's Richard Ashcroft and the Beastie Boys' Mike D all co-wrote and performed on tracks here. There's even an appearance by Metallica bassist Jason Newstead. This merger of star power and DJ-culture cred has already caused a backlash in some factions of the electronic underground and generated preposterous pre-release hype in pop circles. But Psyence Fiction - largely written by Shadow, with Lavelle serving as co-producer and concept man - is neither a bombastic, allstar spectacle nor a groundbreaking reinterpretation of dance music as we know it. The album is an accessible yet edgy blend of movie-soundtrack-style ambience, hip-hop experimentation, rock & roll reverb, maniacal drum breaks and turntable-synthesizer spasms. Psyence Fiction is neither a lofty concept album nor the sonic equivalent of cinema. But it is Shadow and Lavelle's striving for such greatness that makes UNKLE a compelling work in progress.