Ian Pooley - Since Then.

Oh, what has Brazil done to Ian Pooley? Well, for one, it’s helped him deliver SINCE THEN, his first album to be dominated by a South American vibe. It’s certainly different from his earlier offerings, but “Venasque” shows a fun sense of humor with its cute use of French samples. The title track is much less frenetic than his earlier offerings, but still danceable. Although the Brazilian influences and instrumental give the album a more earthy feel than his other work, they also make this album more difficult to distinguish from other such international-leaning albums. “Coracao Tambor” and “Menino Brincadeira” are good, but familiar to other Latin-fusion tracks. Same with the more downtempo “Spicy Snapper.” “Balmes” does have some nice Pooley-esque squelches, and Kirsty Hawkshaw is always welcome, as she makes “Visions” both dreamy and dancey. For pure dancey, though, “900 Degrees” is pure disco Pooley magic, and “Sundowner” punches the point home. “Cloud Patterns” puts a mellow cap on the album, showing that Pooley’s still got the skills, even if they’ve gone south of the border.

Surely not the first Northern European to lose his head after escaping to sunnier climes, Ian Pooley intended his second album for V2 as an audio travelog (to accompany the pictorial one included in the booklet) of his visits, spanning Brazil to Barcelona and Malta to Montreal. As such, most of these tracks are warm disco-tech movers, reminiscent of Latin '70s dance-fusion (Azymuth, Salsoul Orchestra) and perfect for Ibizan beach parties. Some of the tracks are filtered very similar to the wave of Stardust inheritors, though Pooley's deft touch on the programming immediately rescues these tracks from being mere imitators. Two familiar-sounding tracks, "Coracao Tambor" and "900 Degrees," feature Rosanna and Zélia. Though the music's undoubtedly not quite as exciting as the geography it was inspired by, Since Then is a breath of fresh air on a stifling summer day.