5 out of 5

Label: Cold Blow

Produced by: Ed DMX

I recognize I’d likely never give something like Kiss Goodbye much of a chance if not for its artist, and that I likely wouldn’t have given DMX Krew’s tunes much of a chance – master-of-styles Ed Upton does tend to lean more into clubby acid than my general preferences are geared towards – if not for his appearing on Rephlex, and even with that, it took several years of coming around to his particular brew of genius. So I can sit here and wonder how many other great retro electro bands albums I’m missing out on, and though that is certainly the case, I do also think that part of why Ed’s version of vocal, funky, sweaty hookup dancefloor tunes works for me is because it’s not all he does, nor is it a one-album pursuit. It’s an era of music that comes across as legitimately adored by Ed, and at this point, several albums in to the style, it’s performed  with utter sincerity. …Sealing the deal with the artist’s evolved / evolving sense of composition, which marries old school bop to whip-smart pacing and nuance, and then rich production to best show off the retro sounds.

All of this is to say that Ed DMX comes by an appreciation for this stuff honestly, not ironically, and though it took a return to this stuff decades later for me to appreciate / give another shot to the earliest DMX Krew stuff, which is much more kitsch and cheeky, I think Kiss Goodbye is just legitimately great?

I mean, yeah, you can’t take tracks titled D.I.V.O.R.C.E.E. particularly seriously, nor is there much depth to any given lyric about sexin’ or dancin’ or hot nights in the club – the majority of topics here – but as part of this sincerity, neither are the lyrics or choruses phoned in just for a hook or punchline. Musical themes thread throughout Kiss, but every song and beat is unique, and lands, and, similarly, every track’s words have their particular focus. It’s all quite distinct, and it’s one single after another, split between pseudo-rap, things that approach singing, and instrumentals.

Beyond all of this praise, I’m not educated enough to give you references, but any selection’s zippy synths and funky beat and 70s / 80s talk/sing patter will give you a clear touchpoint for the sound. As someone very much not into that sound, if you’re not either, I’d recommend sticking around for a bit, just to let the tightness and catchiness of the tracks work, and then see if you have any choruses stuck permanently in your head thereafter.

For DMX Krew fans, or appreciators or what bandcamp calls “Minneapolis funk and freestyle,” the Cold Blood reissue just sounds so rich, and so “deep” on headphones, that combined with making a DMX rarity available once more, and for the first time on wax, plus Ed’s mastery of the genre… surely this is a must-own.