Do hype machines dream of electro-bangers? Kanye West’s touring DJ and Fools Gold Records’ Field General A-Trak has sifted through the top remixes (and thousands of blog posts) from the last 18 months to patch together Infinity +1. Although that length of time is an eternity on the internet, this physical release claws fiercely to stay current. A-Trak shows a deft ear, selecting prime hooks and spotlighting deserving up-and-comers, but a humdrum last act prevents the album from attaining ‘fire and forget’ status.
A-Trak did not make his way slapping together shiny synth lines. At age 15, a plucky Canadian named Alain Macklovitch dumbfounded the turntablism scene by becoming the youngest winner of the World DMC DJ competition, a grueling battle to prove oneself a Technics 1200s all-star in six minutes of raw scratch athleticism. Catching the eye of Kanye West in 2004, A-Trak was whisked away to a land of enormous stadiums and international exposure. With Infinity + 1, A-Trak shelves his fine motor skills and tries to define his position as a tastemaker in the electronic dance music circuit.
The album readies itself to Shel Silverstein’s introduction to Where The Sidewalk Ends; “We have some flax-golden tales to spin,” the narrator beckons over a creaky door and gramophone crackle before a giddy, nutrasweet synthesizer pads our entry. KIM’s vulnerable, beautiful opening to “Party Machini” poses the album as one to be appreciated as well as danced to before its tight-and-trim drum kit activates. Slowly, the track is overcome by the ubiquitous ascending scales of Laurent Wolf’s “The Crow.” Like an MC Escher drawing, each synth-pulse ladder climbs higher and higher, only to reach the bottom again in an endless trial.
Starting the climax just ten minutes into the disc, A-Trak then injects his Baltimore club cook-up of N.O.R.E. and MSTRKRFT’s “Bounce.” Although the “All I do is party, ah ha ha ha” vocal sample has been run into the ground this past year, Alain’s crunchy, MPC sampler-smothered backing track extends the song’s expiration date. The jam only accelerates when Donnis’s machine-gun-fire “Party Works” hits: “Mix some juice with some gin/ Mix some cran with some Hen/ Tell a friend to tell a friend/ We goin’ hop up in this Benz.” A-Trak’s main squeeze Kid Sister drops the album’s backbone with “Life On TV,” a bubblegum dance-hop blast from her upcoming album Dream Date. Produced by Paris’ newest export Yuksek, precision synths fill out Kid Sister’s pithy gasps and shouts: “The crowd goes wow then the EQ doubles/ The bass the bass/ The treble the treble.”
The lawless pace is unsustainable, however, and the album begins to recede into drone and self-importance. The Golden Filter’s “Solid Gold” lacks any brawn, and the washed-up disco of Dam Funk’s “Galactic Fun” is soggy by the first bite. The last five tracks sound like a lullaby after the energy of the opening salvo, leading one to question where this mix could be properly played in its entirety. Fading into the dark with the offensively bland “This Sweet Love (Prins Thomas Sneaky Edit),” A-Trak exits with an acoustic guitar whimper, but he’s justifiably exhausted after a long day of metallic laser go-go. While Infinity + 1 has its muddled moments, and isn’t always quite right for the dance floor, it confirms that good taste can go a long way.
1. Intro / John Dahlback - Sidewalk
2. KIM - Party Machini
3. Laurent Wolf - The Crow
4. Farley Jackmaster Funk - Love Can't Turn Around (Lifelike Remix)
5. MSTRKRFT feat. N.O.R.E. - Bounce (A-Trak Remix)
6. Donnis - Party Works
7. Kid Sister - Life On TV
8. Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer (A-Trak Remix)
9. The Golden Filter - Solid Gold
10. Bag Raiders - Nil By Mouth (Knightlife Remix)
11. Holy Ghost! - Hold On
12. DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano (Joakim Remix)
13. Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
14. Gonzales - Working Together (Boys Noize Dub Mix)
15. Soundstream - Freakin
16. Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood Remix)
17. Housemeister - What You Want (Siriusmo Remix)
18. A-Trak - Say Whoa (DJ Spinna Remix)
19. Dam Funk - Galactic Fun
20. Alexander Robotnick - Problemes d'Amour
21. James Yuill - “This Sweet Love” (Prins Thomas Sneaky Edit)