Slam - Human Response

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 8 / 8 / 2007

Label: Soma Records
Format: CD

intro

Sophisticated and deeply addictive house music on fourth album from Slam, whose members Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle are the founders of Glasgow's Soma label

For their fourth album, Soma Records' Slam make up for the relative failure of the Spirals on the Soma label's offshoot Darkroom Dubz. Slam's craftmanship and sophistication is marked all throughout the 'Human Response' album. Deeply addictive house beats are inserted into a couple of grand compositions to give this album a rather magnificent sound, which is as might be expected from Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle, the duo who formed the Soma label. The current single 'No One Left to Follow' is a very fine slab of 'vinyl' in its own right but in the context of this album's collection of phat grooves it sets the pace for many a great thing to come. The clubby electronics of 'Ghost Song' explain probably best Slam's 2007 style of house music. The sound changes to that of a quicksand soaking up deep grooves on the next track 'We Medicate' yet an eerie urge to dance persists. As it comes close to dubstep, never mind it being house music, 'We Medicate' simply must end up as one of the finest UK vocal downbeat tracks of 2007. It is the only vocal track on this album by the way. 'Reluctant Traveller' then comes on like a warning; widening the listener's horizon whilst tweaking the ears. The first single culled off the album, 'Azure' is next. Irresistible in the same way as sex and alcohol induced holiday offers are, Slam retain their dignity, no matter how sleazy the beats get. The fully hyperventilating euphoria reaches an conclusive end on 'Staccato Rave'. 'Human Response' probably is one of those few 2007 albums able to melt content, rhythm and concept.

Track Listing:-

1 Subject Invisible
2 No One Left to Follow
3 Weekday Mourning
4 Looking North
5 Ghost Song
6 We Medicate
7 Reluctant Traveller
8 Azure (Pt. 1)
9 Staccato Rave (Original Mix)
10 We're Not Here
11 Memoir

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/SLAM.soma
http://slam-djs.com/
https://twitter.com/slamdjs
https://pro.beatport.com/artist/slam/3548

Label Links:-

http://www.somarecords.com/
http://www.slam-djs.com/
https://twitter.com/SomaRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/officialsomarecords
https://www.facebook.com/SomaRecords/