Dance guru LUKE SLATER'S previous, slinkily machine-tooled singles had provided some light relief vocally with the likes of The Aloof's Ricky Barrow guesting, but the lengthy "Traktion Action" finds him firmly relocated back in trance territory with this nagging, extended headfuck of a track.
We're confronted by a recurring problem here, as while "Traktion Action"s smart, repetitive groove would no doubt be a killer in a club situation, approached in daylight hours with nothing more stimulating than strong coffee for company it tends to underachieve. Sure, it's an amazing set piece in its' own respect, with Slater adding and subtracting - splashy cymbals here, prodding synth lines there, furious beats everywhere - as only a master can, but you're ready to tie up the one-trick pony for a well-earned drink of water after a full 11 minutes of bangin' intensity.
Did I say intensity? Well, maybe that shoulda been "Intensity" as the first of "Traktion Action"s flip trax is named accordingly. From a listener's point of view, it's got better hooks, too, with a corking synthy catchline weaving around and around and enough to keep you on tenterhooks as the plot unfolds. It's an obvious cliche to wheel out descriptions such as "cinematic", but this critter does have a cool, soundtrack-y quality and burrows deep inside your skull before it's finished.
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Generously, we also get a third track called "EDBD", but it's hard going. Initially it sounds like it's gonna be little more than an electronica overload (a nice relaxing cyanide bath with Aphex Twin, anyone?) but it does gradually assume some shape and melody and lays on the disco hi-hat nice and thick.
Ultimately, however, "Traktion Action" and its' siblings are geared entirely for the dedicated clubber. Luke Slater likes to keep us guessing, to his credit, which is why he may have felt the necessity to make such a hard-edged single for purely dancefloor consumption after a run of more radio-friendly fare. If it was his intention to re-state his abrasive capabilities, then he's succeeded, but buyer beware: this only works under the correct controlled circumstances.
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