Reviewed by Rod Lobaugh

Back in the days when alternative music was still called new wave, Ronnie Martin probably still would have been regarded as weird. What Martin has played an important role in is yanking the tent poles of the Christian music industry wide enough to give place to some much needed originality. Going further down that road. Martin had now provided a home to bands that have a similar musical vision as his own, that being electronic pop, a very alternative form of fluffy pop music. Martin's launching of his Plastiq Musiq record label is bound to pull those tent poles a little wider, and the pulling begins with this compilation. If anything, the "Plastic.Musiq Compilation" proves that it truly does take talent and skill to make good electronic music. Enough examples of the good and bad electronica pop up to prove that. The album kicks off with an example of the good, being a new track from Ronnie Martin's own band. Joy Electric, called "Electric Car" which is quite mellow and shows off a deeper musical texture and subtlety when compared o some of the other candy coated fluff bouncing its way around the album. One of the most alluring tracks of the album is the work of Starflyer 59. "We Got A Word For" sports a dark groove that is a bit of a throwback to "Gold". To make sure it qualities as some sort of electronica, "We Got A Word For" features some synthesizer, generally a foreign sound to Starfyer 59. Anchoring the album is a remix of the Echoing Green's "Oxygen", which has a slick and smooth vibe very reminiscent of Jamiraquoi. It is the type of tune that makes even the deadest feet yearn to dance about, and is easily the slickest track on this compilation. The bad of the album manifests itself in different ways, mostly as the occasional cheap copies of Joy Electric. A few songs are simply plagued by poor vocals, such as Pivot Clowj's "Division", a great musical composition mixed with James T Kirk-like vocals that can be slightly annoying. A putrid apathetic side of this compilation makes itself felt as well. Perhaps most notable of that little fraternity is Situation's "Sonshine". a "Super Mario" musical track mixed with laughable, lame duck vocals. This compilation is an excellent foray into the land of loops, drum machines and Casio keyboards, even if some of the songs will make your friends laugh at you.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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