Out of the Black
The raucous, schizophrenic sound of Out Of The Black – much like previous Boys Noize records – has more to do more with Ridha’s attention span as his choice in gear. “I get bored really easily with sounds,” he explains, “The exciting part for me is trying to come up with new sounds, putting new sounds in a new dress. I’m sound obsessed. I buy a lot of machines and synths, and I’m always looking for a way to destroy sounds in an unconventional way. I’m always drawn to music and productions that sound entirely different or really naïve or sometimes just stupid. I don´t like it when it sounds too clean and generic, there needs to be some sort of soul. I guess that explains a lot about my sound which I think I instinctually capture. But I do try to keep in mind what I loved about dance music when I started doing this and how it made me feel. Those thoughts were also very much on my mind when I was making this record.” The new album nicely bridges the gap between his previous two efforts; providing the requisite in-your-face electro bang of classic Boys Noize on tracks like “What You Want”, “Rocky 2” and “XTC”, or more melodic songs like “Ich R U“ and “Reality“. At a time when mainstream electronic music—particularly the pervasive cultures of EDM and dubstep—have moved dance music out of the clubs and into the stadiums, Ridha is quick to acknowledge the old school house and acid records that shaped him as a DJ; the very same records that continue to bubble up as an influence on Out of the Black.
Invoking Public Image Ltd., it's a robotic voice that introduces Boys Noize's excellent 2012 effort Out of the Black, looping through that "This is what you want, this is what you get" couplet, although this time, there are no ironic intentions or snide ways about it.
ClashMusic: Read a review of Germany's Boys Noize (Alex Ridha) album 'Out Of The Black' out 8th October 2012 on BNR.