5 out of 5

Label: Libertine Records

Produced by: Ed DMX

DMX Krew’s start in the late 90s made perfect sense in the context of the brilliant pranksters who formed the backbone of the Rephlex crew, fully embracing the 80s house that had inspired many of the rostermates and combining it with a goofy but sincere appreciation for / application of 70s funk. It was kitsch, but also great dance music, and celebrated that kitsch.

The early 00s and beyond found Ed DMX expanding on that template – sometimes stepping completely away from it – but it’s still the basis of the DMX Krew sound, and Libertine 12, some 20+ years on, is a perfect example of how this basis continues to stretch and remain fresh.

I’ll generally praise Ed’s err toward minimalist maximalism: he pares a track down to just the beat and synths it needs, and moves pieces in and out of position at just the right time. Not every single thing is gold, but the success rate, considering his release rate, is astounding. This album puts together ten tunes which use that old school funk backing with – varyingly – pieces of acid, electro, and synthwave mixed in. Every beat is big; every single melody matters; and the sequencing on this thing is perfect – kicking off with the longest track and one of its more sparse, kind of proving how little Ed needs to make a solid, instantly enjoyable jam. Putting this near-seven minute tune up front is smart, as I’d probably snip at something like this hitting later on, but your ears are fresh, and ready to hear all the nuance along the way.

The B-side of each LP are relatively tighter, crunchier tunes – think more strut than sway – but overall the flow tends to go from something comparatively laidback to something a bit more tense, and back and forth. While I can’t dig out anything deeper to this set (sometimes I’m able to b.s. my way to a theme), that’s part of the appeal / strength: the plain black jacket; the faceless electro song names (Two Machines; Phase Lock Bass); Libertine 12 is so unassuming, while being stuffed with, like, the apex version of the DMX Krew sound.