In a nutshell, Isle of Wight’s Shakes (AKA brothers Matt and Darren Farrow) have been shaking things up in the UK as of late. Not only have the duo been featured on various compilations from Modular to Fabric32, but they also wrapped a tour with CSS and are in the process of remixing Datarock amongst others.
On first listen it’s easy to claim that their music is reminiscent of when so many of us heard those three little letters a few years back: DFA. But peeling back the multiple layers you can also hear influences ranging from post-punk rock, to the industrial acidity of Black Strobe to the more obvious head banging big beats from the likes of Chemical Brothers. While the duo does play in this dance genre, their beats remain fresh and aren’t the tired crap that we’ve heard all before.
The EP starts out with the deep rolling and cowbell infused “Sister Self Doubt” which was one of the two big singles across the pond. While it does sound rather tasty on headphones, I can only imagine what that bass would be like on the sticky and sweaty dance floor. There is also an alternative version of the same cut that might be a little more welcoming to some of the indie hipsters out there. “Disneyland Pt.1″ and the guitar-driven “Disneyland Pt. 2″ explode to the point of insanity and beg that you should push aside those Klaxons CDs and play this loud instead.
If you like big beats, staying out late and don’t care about the morning hangover, the Sister Self Doubt EP is your speed. I don’t partake in the whole dance/electro scene, but if I were going to, this would be my personal soundtrack…that is until the Shakes’ LP (and the new Chemical Brothers) comes out.
“Sister Self Doubt”
