From Amazon.com
Is it live or is it iMac? "No sequencers or samplers were used in the recording of this album," announces the New Deal in the sleeve of their official debut (after three self-released live albums). The Toronto-based, self-proclaimed "live improvised breakbeat house" band isn't out to revolutionize dance music, exactly, but they do prove drum & bass, house, and other club-land mainstays don't have to be solely the province of technogeeks with laptops. This album might not make a strong case for one method being better than another--perhaps only the most discerning drum & bass purist will be able to detect the organic origins of "Self Orbit," for instance--but it certainly shows the trio are accomplished players capable of some delirious downtown grooves. Using only bass, drums, and keyboards, along with the occasional voice, trumpet, and theremin, the group journeys into spacey disco lounge in "The Ray Parker Suite: Part 1" and strikes up thumping Basement Jaxx-type house on "Back to the Middle." Vocal tracks are used to humorous effect--against the chilled vibe of "Exciting New Direction," a voice from the human resources department of a dot-com company ends with the kiss-off, "I'm calling to inform you that your position has not been identified as part of our new marketing strategy and has been eliminated." As finely constructed as dance-floor excursions like the nine-minute "Technobeam" are, however, the disc does leave the listener wanting more--that is, to really see these guys kick it out live.
--Shawn Conner