Wasting little time, M.R.K.1 bursts through the gate on the A side with an astounding beat heard by many on the recently re-issued Virus Syndicate album The Work Related Illness and its preceding "Ready to Learn" single. Renamed "Ready for Love," this soulful stunner surpasses most of his already commendable catalog with dizzying percussion and one of the catchiest vocal hooks I've heard this year. The remainder of the record can't meet the impossibly high standards set by this undeniable single. "Daywalker" retreats to the familiar dark terrain of the One Way album, with cinematic samples and orchestral strings setting the stage for combat. Surprisingly melodies emerge on the flipside, and there's almost a Luke Vibert quality to the squelchy, quasi-acidic "Rat Trap" and the dreamy noodling of closer "Stardust," implying some sort of underlying linkage between M.R.K.1 and the rest of Planet µ's seemingly disparate, eclectic roster.
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