Gem Tos - Le Danse de Carla

Gem Tos has a great mix of styles that I have not heard before and that is to combine Old School EBM with Chip and 8-bit. It's what D.A.F. Would have sound like if they where played through a Gameboy as amplifier.

Speaking of D.A.F, Gem Tos has her own version of the classic "Der Mussolini" as the second track on this EP, but her version is called "Der Carla" and have (from what I can figure out with my ignorant language skills) different lyrics, however, there's no confusion about the music and melody. The first time I heard of this remake I laughed right out, not in despise nor arrogance, rather with love due to the fact that the track is so sweet and amazing, both at the same time. It's impossible not to adore it and I would love to play it on a club to see the reactions, especially since I've grown very tired of the original (oh no, heresy!).

While the first two tracks, "Sei Vecchi" and "Der Carla" has a true Old School inspired sound, the third "Dans La Tele" has a much more electro punk feeling to it, a bit like an Alice In Videoland dragged in the dirt Atari Teenage Riot left behind. For the fourth and last track, "Sunnyvale Part 2" she have a even more old school, so old school it's pretty close to Kraftwerk. Though I share the love, it becomes tedious and feels neglected of gunpowder with power enough to explode and leave craters.

While I enjoy this EP and feed on its energy, it somewhat loses me after the firs two tracks. The first half is fun, and to me, new and fresh. Meanwhile, the second half is quite the opposite. I hope Gem Tos nurture what she does really well and keep her focus straight, because then she is surely able to make one hell of an interesting album. Aug 12 2011