1999

by John BushA sleek and intelligent dance record, Zdar and Boombass' debut is an intriguing update of classic '80s garage and disco in the same fashion that Daft Punk rewired Chicago acid house for 1997's Homework. Most of the best tracks here, including "La Mouche" and "Foxxy," weave snippets of diva vocals and flexible basslines into up-front productions with a focus on tight rhythm programming. Unfortunately, too many tracks on 1999 suffer from what can be an unhappy medium -- casual pacing for a club tune but rather formulaic production values to make for solid living-room listening. Aside from the single "Cassius 1999," the hip-hop punch of "Mister Eveready" is another highlight.