Reminiscent of early acid house, Burns prefers to stick to acid lines that make people dance, and that’s where he’s unlike many of his contemporaries at the moment,
A master at work
Mighty Force’s latest banger of a release is by a bit of an ‘outsider‘ legend. ‘Big‘ Vern Burns, a renaissance man whose real moniker shall remain a secret. Burns has been around for years working with legends like Andrew Weatherall and Genesis P. Orridge. It was actually Weatherall who first called him Vern Burns and he’s stuck with it since. However, onto the album.
As Boxheater Jackson, Burns certainly knows how to deliver classic floor fillers. This really is an album you can dance to with ease. There’s some genuinely groovy moments from the slick basslines and slamming beats. There’s a certain old-school feel to the album, especially with some of the vocal styles, but it comes with a distinctly modern and contemporary twist and vibe. Which I like a lot.
Reminiscent of early acid house, Burns prefers to stick to acid lines that make people dance, and that’s where he’s unlike many of his contemporaries at the moment who see the 303 sound as a vehicle to create all means of weird and (sometimes) wonderful electronic music. However, the simple fact is that it has always worked best and sounded best in straight up dance tracks aimed at the dancefloor in a club or rave setting, and not the bedroom while you’re doodling on Photoshop or similar. I mention this as this is a trope I often hear. “This is a great album to work along to X,Y and Z with” for example. That personally drives me up the wall. I can’t imagine producers and artists saying to themselves, “I’ll aim this album at the bedroom so my fans can make some doodles.” Boxheater Jackson is an absolute star at the former and by design, completely lacking in the latter. This is a master at work.
He knows exactly what he’s doing, how it will work, and how people will react to it. It’s a truly warm and uplifting experience for fans of genuine underground dance music. Dare I say it, a classic in the classic sense. People will still be listening to this album in 20 years, and it will still sound fresh. Classics never lose that.
There’s really not much more I can add to this. If you’re a fan of techno and house you’re going to absolutely love it. It’s a must have album in that sense. Hopefully, Boxheater Jackson returns soon with some more of this stuff. I could listen to it all day.
We Are One is available on Mighty Force. [Bandcamp]
