RE: Freakbox
Modeselektor make unreal music - building bridges between crunk hip-hop, ridiculous techno, modern electro, and so-called IDM, they have really created a whole new space in electronic music for themselves to occupy. I don't know of anyone else that is making music that is quite as creative and bizarre (like the ODB-sampling "The Rapanthem"), yet still so very palatable (AND dance-able). They are Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, a pair of young Berliners who have been happily working just outside the norm for nearly a decade. Always taking a toung-in-cheek attitude towards their productions, sharing a sly smile and wink with their audience with silly song-titles and a playful sound palate.
After releasing four EPs on one of my absolute favorite labels, Berlin's B-Pitch Control, each filled with tracks so varied as to make you wonder if they were actually little compilations, their long-awaited full-length album, Hello Mom!, is finally released tomorrow. The record is thirteen tracks of skittish electronics ("Earth (UPS Edit)"), busted rap numbers (see "Dancingbox" or dancehall-y "Silikon"), gorgeous ambient tech workouts (last track "I Love You"), and massive rave-monsters ("Kill Bill Vol. 4") - its really quite something, and really feel totally unique right now. The closest sounding band I can think of offhand would be Funkstörung, if they hadn't decided to go so deep into their broken-hip-hop sound, and went more in the direction of head-bobbing late-night electronics and techno instead.
You can purchase Hello Mom! (and some of their earlier releases) from our friends at Forced Exposure - the album is really damn good, so it comes very highly reccomended!