Dan Curtin – Deception

Layers with depth with excellent programming and use of percussion levitate the listener into a imaginary Manga inspired futuristic neon Detroit city - just like the cool UK stylish Manga inspired art cover which does perfect justice to the album(unlike the Japanese art cover and its 2 bad club remixes by Ken Ishii &m K-Hand added at the end). A wonderful Techno listen that flourishes with cosmic funk, dreamy deepness, moody neon futurism and Detroit melodious soulfulness that brings Techno to the mind, body, and soul.

A underrecognized classic!

I was lucky enough to find a copy of this in a store that buys/sells used stuff, kind of hidden among hundreds of the usual pop records, the ones you find on the top 10 lists of every store. I was very happy as it was a great deal for a record i had been listening for a while already, and that i really loved.
I find artwork to be always essential to any music, but in the majority of the cases, the images seem to be just there because the package could use some covering. Deception is one of those records where i just can't avoid to praise the artwork because, more than being a visual interpretation of the music, it is a complement that stimulates your listening and imagination. The music is just as moody as the cityscape, and as sexy as the lady in the cover, and both belong to a reality far ahead of our time. Curtin's percussion is complex, dense, breakbeat-ish, his pads are futuristic, very moody, often kind of mysterious, and there is still place for the melodies that tell the stories. Deception sounds pleasantly dreamy. He grabs detroit techno and shapes a very distinct sound out of it.
Also there is no way i am not talking about the package, as it is surprisingly elaborate and with attention to detail. When aligned after being open, the cover, side strip and back cover show the complete image of the lady leaning on the building. The inside grabs some details from this image, in a sort of comic book style.
A wonderful album to listen to while laying on the grass and contemplating the stars, or for long night driving times through a big city.