Benjamin Bates' second artist album has just hit the shelves. Following up to his first album from 2004, this new CD shows which kind of music typifies Benjamin's tastes at the moment. This is not just your everyday album, so head in for a review...

Benjamin Bates has always been one of those producers who just does his thing, regardless of what happens to be hot at that moment. Over the past few years, he has shown that it is possible to create an entire own sound, despite the fact that his tracks span a lot of genres in electronic music. On the one hand, his impressively varied discography includes club hits like 'Locked Up', 'The Manimal' and 'Backtracking', whilst on the other hand it encompasses catchy housey tracks like 'Whole' and the just released 'On My Feet (This Worlds Needs More People Like You) single.

Neary three years ago, Benjamin's 'what's in a name' first artist album called N.E.V.E.R.L.E.T.A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.K.I.L.L.T.H.E.P.L.E.A.S.U.R.E. was released. In between the albums, three special vinyl singles which are not included on either of the albums were brought out, including a collection of 'big room' Benjamin productions.

On to 'Recyclomania'. This album is an album with a message. Or actually, perhaps even a few messages. When skimming over the CD booklet, a few of these messages stand out. First of all, the artwork comes with a few of its own remarks. While its main themes are an old couch, lots of carrots, a pink SpongeBob-like puppet with a scarf on its head, and Benjamin himself, somehow the whole thing shines out a very distinct atmosphere. Because of this, I will review the tunes included on the CD making use of the visual aspects and the texts available in the booklet.

Note To Self #1 all seems to be about a seemingly lonely guy who doesn't really have a clue on how to proceed in his life. It is visualized by the pink puppet sitting on a couch, looking down in a 'what should I do now' kind of way. The music itself reflects these emotions greatly by using a touching melodic pattern and a lonely vocal line that is imminent throughout the rest of the tune as well: "Hang on to your soul, it's the only thing you control". Slowly but gradually, the music gains more 'grip' by introducing crispy broken beat patterns, sending out more and more power on its way. Thick, electro-drenched synth stabs give the track a very full body near the end, perhaps showing that the puppet will ultimately find its way in life anyhow.
The first single taken from the album, which is also the Dance4Life anthem for this year, is On My Feet. Constrasting heavily with the first track on the CD, this is a festive housetune encompassing superbly infectious chord lines, catchy vocals and a superbly positive feel. Positivity is exactly what describes this tune, and that's also why it fits in with the essence of the Dance4Life campaign. The vocals are done by Benjamin himself, as are the vocals on all the other tunes included on the disc.

Divine is a bit more of a clubby tune, although its deeper essence might be hidden somewhere else. Classy melodic lines and impressive vocals are the key ingredients here, driven onwards by heavy 4/4 beats and some superbly crisp percussional elements. Again, the vox concentrate on the human soul. They're beautiful in their own way, contrasting yet fitting in well with the more harsh underlying club feel of the track. In the artwork, the pink guy sits next to Bates, perhaps having found his way in life a bit more already.
Regardless of the more upbeat, positive feel accentuated in the last two tunes, Recyclomania is of a different caliber. Above the printed lyrics hangs a raincloud, showing that this is a bit less positive and more critical of things. The lyrics reflect this nicely by talking about losing faith in multiple aspects of modern-day society. The structure of the track, however, is very funky. Slow, broken beat patterns are topped with captivating melodic hooks and raw, electro-ish SFX to keep things at pace. Overall, this is a very pleasant track to listen to, mostly because it integrates the more critical vocals with a chunky body. I somehow have the feeling this is going to get some nice remixes in the near future as well!

Having reached track number five, it shows that this album combines high production standards with critical vocals and a wide diversity of styles in EDM. Forever Running is about another person who seems to be running away from her life, not knowing where to stop. The lyrics and music show this by combining deep, grinding basslines with rapid 4/4 beat patterns and relatively fast vocals.
Equal and the accompanying concept of equality are reflected in the artwork. It shows the small pink puppet sitting at a table stuffed with food (actually, the food comprises a bunny, a sheep and a goose), with a larger puppet with teeth sitting adjacent. Our small pink friend can't reach the food, while the big guy with the teeth can. In essence, the big guy with the teeth has the ability to 'abuse' the defenceless animals. The vocal line from the tune reflects the core of what is meant to be said here: "If we are all so equal, why are you the only one who feels so good?". This track seems to be critical to the way things go in today's society again. The concept of human equality has been proposed ages ago by philosophers, and it's also one of the guidelines in democracies. Yet in many instances, it seems to be overlooked. The music itself has quite the dark vibe glooming over it, perhaps wanting to reflect these disturbing considerations. Fast bass notes change spots quickly, injecting a very deep overall feel over the whole thing combined with subtle piano strokes and slowly paced strings. I really like how the message from the artwork is implemented in the music. Or vice versa, of course.

Given Up The Try is a more than beautiful interlude, taking just over two minutes. Gorgeous melodic plucks are key here, bit by bit extending to become a fantastic little piece of music. Not much more to say about this than that it's beautiful.
Picking up the pace again, Two Flies includes many hints to the music made back in the eighties! This one has it all; wicked synth lines, massive drum patterns and a metallic bassline make this a fast-paced piece of music, driven onwards by swift, catchy vocals. We see our pink friend watering some flowers (and a tree). One thing that stands out is that there's quite the scar on its head. Why would that be?

The Next Big Thing is, according to Benjamin, all about the 'binary friends that accompanied me through my childhood'. We see pink scarface sitting behind a computer, with a lot of Atari-related stickers and posters and the wall. The tune itself is quite the no-nonsense house tune. A massively thick, pumping bassline, twittering sound effects and a bunch of very cool vocal snips (including one from an old Atari commercial) make this a rather original, slightly weird track. It does have a lot of dancefloor potential, though!
The tune that really exerts a 'poppy' feel is Taking Me High. It features a very calm body, depending on a tasty lil' bassline and a very 'quiet' use of percussional elements. Soft piano notes are implemented here and there, and again the vocals take up a huge portion of the tune its overall sensation.

The closing tune of 'Recyclomania' is quite the special one. Everything You Hoped For sounds very, very hopeful somehow. As if everything's going to be all right eventually. Melancholic, reverbed melodies take up a leading role, accompanied by a very thick body of deep, bass-guitar like basslines and a great use of drums. In the middle of the track, a sample of a radio interview with an American Christian extremist has been included. In essence, he states that minority groups are partly responsible for the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001. Once again, by including this highly controversial fragment, Benjamin shows that he is critical of certain aspects of society. In a way, the track that surrounds the radio interview sample wipes away the bad mood one could get from hearing these kind of utterly unfounded statements. And perhaps that's exactly the essence of making and listening to music.

The ending pages of the artwork show that the pink puppet is actually 'an image of your imagination'. It's not really there, although it would like to be.
Coming up soon on i:Vibes is an interview with Benjamin Bates dedicated to this album, which hopes to cover most questions surrounding the contents of 'Recyclomania'.

Tracklisting

01. Note To Self #1
02. On My Feet (This World Needs More People Like You)
03. Divine
04. Recyclomania
05. Forever Running
06. Equal
07. Given Up The Try
08. Two Flies
09. The Next Big Thing
10. Taking Me High
11. Everything You Hoped For

Conclusion:
This album needs to be looked at from another perspective than most other artist albums. Of course, it shows that Benjamin Bates is a full-fledged artist of the highest caliber. Having written and sung all the vocals himself, he shows that he is not just another artist. Many styles have been intermingled here, ranging from deep clubby tracks, to touching melodic intermezzo's and funky poppy tunes. Yet, the critical view that this album reflects makes it something even more attractive. This one's a must!