Reviews

Destroy Rock and Roll, the debut album from DJ and writer Mylo, is a fresh face in the long line of techno artists.  Taking bites from different music scenes, as he garnered influence from his stints living in Paris, Oxford, London, and San Francisco, Mylo creates an album that doesn’t fall into any particular category; it’s a little bit of everything: house, electronic, break-beat, industrial and trance, among other genres of techno.  Mylo cut the album on his own independent label, Breastfed, which he created strictly for this project after turning down offers from big labels.  Mylo sweated out the entire album in his own little studio by means of a Mac G4.

Although the title of the album would suggest otherwise, Mylo actually shows off his love for rock and roll.  Tapping into the ghosts of classic rock and 80’s pop and rock, Mylo showcases his influences from those formidable music eras by utilizing many samples in his writing.  One track in particular, “In My Arms,” includes samples from the 80’s soft-pop hits, “Waiting For A Star To Fall” and “Bette Davis Eyes.”  It ultimately went on to become a club favorite in the U.K.  Other tracks, such as “Muscle Car,” and “Doctor Pressure,” became popular hits with regular club rotation in both the U.K. and the U.S.  “Doctor Pressure” includes samples from “Dr. Beat,” by Miami Sound Machine featuring Gloria Estefan.

One possible negative about the album, depending on a listener’s tastes, is at times many of the songs become very monotonous, without any distinct breaks or changes.  To some, this is good, as the beats and rhythms stay fluid and balanced throughout the entire track.  On the contrary, other listeners may get bored with the same tempo and beats over and over for four minutes.  Also, there’s no punch to any of the tracks; the entire album is low-key and mellow, giving off, at times, a lounge feel to it, which is OK for some of the time, but when the ultimate end is rotation in a dance club, it limits itself.  Many times, as a song is rising toward what seems like an ultimate climax as the anticipation of an exploding bomb is created, the moment comes and goes without so much as a small firecracker, and one is left wondering what happened and why the build up of strength was left to fizzle away.

However, flipping the card over, there are some simple positives.  Looking at the creative and artistic side of things, it cannot be ignored that Mylo made this album for himself, and no one else, and that has to account for something.  Second, the album can be listened to while driving in a car, relaxing at home, or dancing at a club; most techno albums struggle to spread their wings so far.  Another positive is the obvious bang-for your-buck aspect -- the album, seventeen songs strong, taps in at just less than seventy minutes total.  Whether Mylo will ever ascend to the ranks of some of today’s biggest spinners and writers, such as Tiesto, Oakenfold, and Sasha, remains to be seen, but let’s hope that no matter what, he keeps his integrity and continues to set himself apart, artistically, from others.