It's easy to imagine cruising aimlessly down the highway, no particular place to go, with only the compelling
Atlantic Breakers to keep you company. Pretty flashing lights flying by against the night sky are the perfect visual accompaniment to Dutch duo
Pako & Frederik's debut CD.
Atlantic Breakers is both earthy and electronic, a combination that's been used numerous times, but here the two contrast and complement more than blend.
Pako & Frederik have arrived fully formed on their first CD, with melody, structure, and production all nicely polished. The album does go for the bombastic here and there, but the duo's fine appreciation of deepness keeps its cinematic side in check. The sleekness of
Hybrid comes to mind, as does
Bill Laswell's dubby landscape. Add
the Orb's space-prog echo and
Kraftwerk's hypnotic sequencers, and the album becomes the perfect soundtrack for hours in front of the laptop or anything else that is shamelessly modern. Despite all the influences,
Pako & Frederik have their own voice. They prefer a steadily chilled atmosphere with drops of dissonance and firm techno bleeding through. There are too many highlights to pick from, and the whole album is seamlessly mixed together as if it was a DJ session. Add the slight quote from
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Enola Gay" they sneak in, and you can't help but fall in love with them. ~ David Jeffries