A Touch of Class Still Sucks

This New York-based production duo made a big splash in the U.S. (and a bigger one in Europe) with its first album of remixes, 2003's A Touch of Class Sucks! The follow-up is more of the glorious same: a sound that is generally dry and snappy, sharply focused on a tensile funk and constantly evoking both 1980s dance-pop and 1970s disco while frequently referencing reggae, dub, and new wave as well. Their remix of the Gossip's "Listen Up" is scrappy soul-pop, with guitars and female vocals at the center of the mix while the song's subtly reggae-influenced structure is accented by means of dubwise production flourishes. "Ultramodern," by the Ones, is a bit harsher and more techno-sounding at the beginning, then breaks down into relatively clean and straightforward funk; the inevitable Scissor Sisters track, a remix of "Filthy/Gorgeous" on which A Touch of Class collaborate with Superbuddha, is predictably trashy and fun, and the Secret Weapons' "Bumps" ends the album on a riotous note, and is guaranteed to inspire B-52's-style dancing wherever it's played. Not everything is perfect: Services' "Element of Danger" is probably the strongest pop song on the album, but this mix is just a bit too extended, and there's absolutely no point in remixing an Erasure song if you're going to essentially eliminate Andy Bell's gloriously melodramatic voice. Overall, though, this album is loads of fun. Highly recommended.