Praga Khan – Mutant Funk

Praga Khan aka Maurice Engelen put a lot of energy and soul in this CD. After the Prodigy-like "Pragamatic" and the more danceable set "Twenty First Century Skin", "Mutant Funk" is pretty much in the continuity of the latter although it sounds more diversified and is more accessible than both previous records in my opinion.

As usual with Praga Khan, this CD is filled with excellent music. "The Power Of The Flower" features some oriental strings and definitely sounds more optimistic than "Insanity" or "One Foot In The Grave". That's the kind of music that is ideal on the beach.
Then, "Love" is one example of why I said it's in the continuity of "Twenty First Century Skin". The big booms and the catchy synths are perfectly suited for a party. I like how the last minute has a big beat pattern instead of a house one.
The beginning of "Meditation" sounds as tribal as you like.
As for other styles than house, "Sayonara Greetings" explores drum and bass and "Eyeless In El Paso" concludes the CD on a techno rhythm which sounds very raw, radically different than the rest of this album. However, I'm personally not a big fan of this track. if I ever go to El Paso and the surrounding desert someday, I won't choose this song as a road trip background. Instead, I'll play more memorable stuff like "Funky Desert Breaks" by John Kelley.

My personal favorite track goes to "Immortal Sin". I love the ethereal intro, the beats that keep gaining power during the first minute, the guitar riffs, the vocals... I love everything in this choon. The lyrics are not very optimistic though, but they ain't bad.
I'm also a big fan of "Pittsburgh Angel" and its breakbeats, "Turn It Up" with its inviting synths and bass and "The Moon" rocking the 303's and the huge beats.