NJoi* – Mindflux / Malfunction / Phoenix / Rhythm Zone

Mindflux and Malfunction, 2 massive club/rave tunes. But Rhythm Zone was/is such a cool, late night, chilled out, quality production. It was getting played in 1992 in some sets that I heard and felt right at place in '92.

An outstanding EP of techno from England's legendary rave band n-joi.

Mindflux begins proceedings, and it is rightly the lead track. Massive 'ardkore riffs thunder over classic vocal samples ("Drop The Bass Now", "Rock Your Soul To Make A Building Shake" etc), and some twisting acid lines à la Carlos Peron / Recall IV really make this a proper oldschool anthem. Mindflux indeed!

Malfunction is an earlier track that was previously included as a b-side to n-joi's 1990 classic "Anthem".

A rasping mid-range bassline-cum-riff stings the ears over excellently executed percussion, so it's an obvious inclusion on this US EP.

Phoenix starts off to all intents and purposes like a Prodigy track of the same era, a tight breakbeat grooving over spacey sfx and sub-bass. Bizarrely, it fades out halfway through to introduce a completely different track. This impression is not gained because of the fadeout, but through sheer difference in style. A chunky, electro bassline throbs under a Chicago (think Armando - 100% Of Disin' You) riff and things could not be any more different to the music that was playing in the same track literally a minute earlier!

It really doesn't work to play Phoenix as a whole track, it just sounds wrong.

Thankfully Rhythm Zone restores the EP back to some form of credibility. Very Detroit in flavour but with a Chicago nod to acid, it's much less busy than the a-side tracks but no less effective. The bassline drop halfway through is just lethal when the hi-hats kick in, one of those short but sweet moments just guaranteed to light up a dancefloor (think the stuttering kick break in Daft Punk's "Revolution 909").

All in all, a great EP that managed to bring some proper UK rave-infused-techno to the States.