Trafficante "Is This Now?" Alphaphone Recordings Alpha CD4 1998 (66:23)
Energy (2:53)
This is Channel One (13:18)
Bump the 45 (6:54)
Vaporetti (12:36)
Soul and Salvation (8:00)
The Art of Darkness (7:44)
El Cid Inna Dub (8:37)
How You Know (6:21)
Trafficante is Richard H. Kirk.
Overall impression: good. Richard H. Kirk, formerly 1/2 of the legendary Cabaret Voltaire, has struck yet again with another album under yet another new name. The 90's has been a very prolific period for Kirk, he's released well over a dozen discs under his own name as well as the Sandoz, Dark Magus, Nitrogen, Sweet Exorcist, Electronic Eye and Agents with False Memories monikers. This album follows in the footsteps of the previous works but adds a refreshing bit of grit and classic CV ambience to the mix. As always, lots of analog bleeps and sweeps, bass, samples, spiffy drum programming and layering make for another great RHK album to add to the pile. "El Cid Inna Dub" really stands out with it's cool use of laid back guitar samples and subtle layered build-up. The packaging is minimal ... just a white cardboard sleeve with a b/w picture of some sort of terrorist act on the front.