Electroclash may be officially over in a 2002 kind of way, but whatever Riton?aka Newcastle-born turntablist Henry Smithson?is doing with squelchy beats and semi-salacious lyrics sure feels good. The signature style on Homies And Homos is bouncy and restless and infectious as hell, but nowhere near as trashy as it first appears. Over pulsing electronic rhythms that morph between acid ripples, filtered house and Prince-style liquid-funk jams, Riton transforms the everyday chants of street beggars into cheeky vocal motifs on “Homeless”, and even revives the mildly controversial Cure classic “Killing An Arab” as a fresh techno stomp.
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