by Damon Fonooni

By now most of you are probably pretty familiar with the names Layo & Bushwacka! And if not, where the hell have you been? These two find themselves at the front of all that is tech and house and breaks, thanks to a slew of renowned productions and a little club called The End, which Layo started as a rebellious statement against all that is "typical UK club culture." With their latest album, Night Works, Layo & Bushwacka have once again managed to create a buzz similar to that which came with their premier album release, Low Life, in 1999. As further evidence, their latest single, "Love Story," is currently being caned by all the usual jocks across the world.

Night Works starts off with an intro of abstract, dark melodies and jumps straight into the first track, "Ladies and Gentlemen," which, in the original style of Layo & Bushwacka, explores old school sounds with a slower, nu skool beat. Then, the breaks are on, as tech house textures are twisted around broken beats and tripped out instruments and melodies. Throughout the album, you find yourself engulfed in a wide array of organic sounds, such as the Middle Eastern meets Metalica guitar on "Mainlining." This moves to simpler MIDI rhythm sounds, house divas and even a skat-man on tracks like "All Night Long." The album delves for several tracks back into downtempo, jazzy hip-hop meets nu skool grooves, and then hits with the duo's current anthem, "Love Story," with it's rock bassline and epic house chords.

This record is certainly no Low Life, but how does an artist(s) follow up on an album that, in itself, crossed over a house-breaks sound into nearly every electronic genre and every DJ's sets? Nevertheless, Night Works shines through with top-notch production we've come to expect from Layo & Bushwacka! Without a doubt it will remain in my CD player for months to come.

• Read Cherish's interview with Layo

Night Works
by Layo & Bushwacka
Track Listing:

1. Vinyl
2. Ladies & Gentlemen
3. Shining Through
4. Sahara
5. We Meet At Last
6. Mainlining
7. Let The Good Times Roll
8. All Night Long
9. Strike
10. Sleepy Language
11. Blind Tiger
12. Automate
13. Love Story
14. 2mrw