Album review: Purple Disco machine - Soulmatic

It helps, sure. People to bounce ideas off and ask advice from. But you have to have something there that grabs their attention in the first place.

And having formed a reputation for remixing material from greats like Jamiroquai, Gorillaz, Two Door Cinema Club, New Order, Tom Odell, Faithless, Shapeshifters, Hercules & Love Affair and Sigma, Purple Disco Machine has now shown us what he can do himself.

Born in Dresden, Germany, Tino Piontek has released Soulmatic, his debut full-length LP that packs a punch both with and without celebrity help.

Ella, CeeLo Green, Kool Keith, Hannah Williams and Duane Harden all appear, while Faithless helped him to write some of the material, too.

It’s a funky dance party from start to finish – like Daft Punk have written a record with Chic. And Green’s guest appearance on Pray For Me is a track which pays homage to those French trailblazers in its staccato beats that hide more than a hint of venom in their bassline. Green’s vocals sound great swimming over the top in a number that carefully treads the line between friendly and fierce with ease.

The fun starts with Music In You (Ft. Lorenz Rhode) where the electronic vocals lead into a synth solo that packs more power than a swipe of a lightsabre.

There are more great basslines throughout too to get you moving in your seat. Devil In Me (Ft. Joe Killington and Duane Harden) grooves from start to finish as the husky vocals tell their tale.

Mistress, featuring the excellent vocals of Hannah Williams, is led by a slamming bassline that perhaps Peter Hook himself would be proud of. It is one of the high points of this brilliant record that hides a frightfully uplifting chorus behind darker verses.

Let The Music Play was written with Faithless, and you can hear their contributions in the big-hitting percussion that keeps time.

Each track keeps its length to perfection. Each leaves you wanting more without dragging past their welcome, and to get this consistent throughout a whole record is a great writing skill to have.

These hits will be sweat-inducing to dance to live.

Rating – 9/10

Purple Disco Machine will be supporting Jamiroquai at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena on November 4.