Released on John Peel-defying 33 rpm 12" single, "Ne Travaillez Jamais" is a slice of tense dancefloor magic from playful, Hamburg-based DJ/ sonic explorer ASCii.DISKO (aka Daniel Holc) who apparently lives a life of domestic calm with his girlfriend and their kittens.
In daylight hours anyway, though when the moon goes down he's transformed into a mischievous electro-based wizard and knocks out wicked stuff like "Ne Travaillez Jamais": a dense, hypnotic dancefloor treat which has as much in common with the early electronic pioneers such as The Normal and Kraftwerk (not to mention Throbbing Gristle's sinister aspect in the muttered repetition of the title) as it does any of the post-millennium deckspinners. The way a further keyboard wash shadows its' every move gives it a truly tangible edge, too. Spooked out gear and no mistake.
Hang on in there and more cool set-pieces ensue as well. Chicago/ Berlin DJ Mark Verbos's 'Simple Answer' Remix is pretty startling stuff, bringing "Ne Travaillez..." to the boil in strident, hard-edged house fashion with the melody given a thorough duffing up and a frantic runaround by its' new rhythmic instructor.
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Then, when you flip over for "Jack Your Body To The Beat" you find slo-mo robo-vox giving way to all manner of synapse-searing bassline blather. It's alright, but the DJ Rock Remix is superior, turning the source material into something intrinsically chilly and sparse, with an insidious level of bass and beats floating off into deep space. Very good indeed.
In true Jekyll and Hyde tradition, Daniel Holc's life of domestic bliss balanced out by nefarious night time wanderings (in this case on a search for the most startling bass'n'beats going down) makes for something voyeuristic and fascinating. Who says a man who does his own dishes can't rock, eh?
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