4 out of 5

Produced by: Slipper

Label: Rephlex

Slick, jazzy, electro fun, with darkly-humored samples creating an aquatic theme for vocalist Liz Fletcher (I think…?) to slink around.  Slipper seems oddly grooving for the  Rephlex club, especially the label’s generally more beat-based 90s output, but the savvy intelligences piecing these compositions together (the group formed from slices of Loop Guru and The Damned) sets it far apart from Stereolab-ish kitsch and bumps it into the mirthful realm – in terms of attitude – of dudes like Cylob and muziq.  So while maybe a different style of techno, the mindset feels rightfully Rephlexy, especially in the disc’s latter half, when the softly dancefloor vibe gives way to some more varied and wonderfully layered cuts.

The album’s midsection hangs out in downtempo for a few repetitive verses too many to necessarily hold your ear from start to finish, but these tracks are still interesting, and certainly dense enough to keep you swaying to their swishing beats.