Recepticon is a welcome reminder that Luke Vibert hasn’t lost that weird sense of humor about him that makes his music so enjoyable to listen to.
Luke Vibert hasn’t lost that weird sense of humor
To review the incomparable Luke Vibert is an absolute honor and I’ve been a fan of his for years throughout his different alias’. That being said, Recepticon has been a joy to listen too and is the first album by Wagon Christ in nearly a decade.
Wagon Christ rightfully welcomes us back into the fold with the first track “Hello”—a happy-go-lucky track that has the usual quirky samples and breaks that you’ve come to expect from Luke. Enter “Boogie Serious,” a spookily groovy track complete with familiar samples splashed around and perfectly placed. Put on your ear muffs for the next track “Hazlehertz”—not from the cursing but from the very low bass this track emits. “Alright” has to be one of my highlights because it has one of my favorite samples from Meat Beat Manifesto’s “Radio Babylon”—the track almost pays tribute to them and is quite fun. “U R Here” is a bit of a slow grooving jam while “Never Odd Or Even” is another great funky-downtempo track—with more cursing so keep your kids’ ear muffs on! “Bleep Me Out” is the star of the show with more familiar Meat Beat samples galore, and yes more cursing—be sure to turn up the bass to wake up your neighbors (I could play this one over and over again—didgeridoo bass!) “Innosynth” throws back with a Kraftwerk’ish intro and synthesizer scribbles carried all the way through with plenty of rhythmic drumming. “Lunderneath” is fast-paced, sample laden, and funk-filled bliss that we are all used to from Wagon Christ—and the bass is, again, relentless.
All in all this album is a welcome reminder that Luke Vibert hasn’t lost that weird sense of humor about him that makes his music so enjoyable to listen to. Recepticon will easily seep in with repeated listening—definitely do not miss this one.
Recepticon is available on People of Rhythm. [Bandcamp]
