Ascii Disko
Ascii Disko
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen

Ascii Disko is a new electronic effort by indie rocker Kat D.D. Rokk (formerly the guitarist in Slown). His indie rock background allows him to bring a pretty unique vibe to this hybrid synth pop/EBM/IDM/electro dance/new wave/hard-to-classify techno. But more importantly, he makes music that's chock-full of catchiness. Catchiness taken to hitherto unseen levels, where 74 minutes of music can roll by with nary an uncatchy moment. For the most part, this sound is achieved via neat little effects, good, danceable beats, and melodic vocals that veer just slightly into the realm of cheese, but remain tasteful and don't wear on my nerves. 

And for that matter, er... wait. I think I just wrote the entire body of the review in one intro paragraph. Holy crap, that's my new personal record. In fact, I almost don't have any reason to keep talking, except maybe to mention that Ascii Disko has influences such as Kraftwerk, and would be quite well suited to the dance floor. Kat D.D. Rokk clearly dabbled in alchemy to produce a formula for catchiness, and while I sometimes feel slightly silly sitting on a chair, drinking orange juice, and listening to dance music, I can appreciate that the music might be better suited to other contexts. 

Ascii Disko is a very competent and well-conceived recording, but it mostly inspires me to say things like "it is what it is". Either you want to listen to this kind of music, or you don't. Ascii Disko is definitely on the higher end in terms of quality, thanks to a lot of creativity and variation. Not to mention Mr. Rokk's mastery of alchemy and the dark arts. Did I mention he's a witch? Actually, he's not, I've just run out of meaningful things to say about straightforward electronic music that's fun and catchy but ultimately inconsequential and transitory. Check it out if it's your thing. 

Track List: 
1) Immer
2) Ne Travaillez Jamais
3) Strassen
4) Cool
5) Jetzt
6) Aldimarkt
7) Einfach
8) Jack Your Body to the Beat
9) Moi, Jeveux
10) Photos
11) Schanze 

Ascii Disko is:
Kat D.D. Rokk 

Ascii Disko - Official Site:
http://www.asciidisko.com/

Metropolis Records:
http://www.metropolis-records.com/

3/16/04