It's You, It's Me

Album Review

Ryan Raddon's rise in status as Kaskade has been a steady one. Moving from his native Chicago to bring house music to the musically barren salt flats of Utah via his Mechanised store and subsequent imprint, these releases on his own imprint lit the first spark of a relationship with the West Coast's esteemed Om label, at which he was eventually to take on an A&R position. "What I Say" signalled his arrival, one of those records which sounds as though it had always existed — with Rob Wannamaker making an impression with a breathy lead line and thoughtful lyric, while the employment of guitarist Craig Poole for a bassline to die proved a club-rocking masterstroke which caught the sets of everyone from Pete Tong to King Britt. His debut album echoes the timeless qualities of that initial single, achieving a distant familiarity through a predilection with minor chords coupled with an ear for a great hook — vocalists Joslyn and Amy Michelle providing a further flourish to Raddon's supremely confident production. The sleazy, Prince-like funk of "Get Busy" is a highlight within an album crammed with great tracks.