Sport
A chaotic but fascinating collision of experimental electronica and punk spirit. It’s fitting that Mark E Smith is sampled on the invigorating clatter of ‘Junk’ because he’s the sort of belligerent maverick you suspect inspired Powell on a debut full of abrasiveness and sharp left-turns. As with Smith’s best music, you’ll often find a cracking tune or hypnotic rhythm underneath the songs’ thorny surfaces, with \"Jonny\"’s alloy of acid-house synths, punk riffs and icy vocals impossible to resist.
The punk electronic music Powell makes is crude, queasy, sometimes shockingly ugly, and often quite funny, in a madcap, slightly threatening way. It thrills and it mystifies in equal measure.
Although wrestling with Sport, at first, may prove to be a challenging affair, the producer's debut record rapidly becomes a wholly rewarding and thorough sonic work-out.
For all of its erraticism and tongue-in-cheek playfulness, Powell’s debut has moments of brilliant club euphoria.
Dance music made by bands can often lead to pretty average outcomes. Electronic musicians with a penchant for punk, on the other hand, often...
Electronic producer Oscar Powell makes an exhilarating and punishingly entrance with his debut album 'Sport'.