DJ Marcelle / Another Nice Mess - A Different Fridge For Cheese [Play Loud! Productions - 2024]Combining many styles together to form an interesting style of her own, DJ Marcelle's A Different Fridge for Cheese brings forth an avant-garde approach to beat-driven electronic music. Her experimentation gives each track its own flavour and keeps her from being one-note or repetitive. Samples, noise, loops, and rhythmic percussion all work in conjunction to fill in any holes in this Cheese Hailing from Amsterdam, DJ Marcelle has a unique approach that fits in really well with the city's aesthetic. Playful and inquizitive, A Different Fridge for Cheese takes a lighter approach to experimental dance/electronic and that attitude keeps the album from becoming too serious or self-aware (other than the song titles). Interestingly, DJ Marcelle bookends the album with two noise tracks (more or less), deviating quite a bit from the material found in between. It's on both parts of "Muslimgauze Was Right" that Marcelle feels the most natural. Not harsh but still jarring by comparison, the open and close to the album definitely give a different vibe, and really (to me) are where Marcelle is at her strongest. They're short but effective. The amount of variation to the tracks and their construction certainly keeps the originality flowing and prevents the album from becoming stale, but it has a sort of "throw things at the wall and see what sticks" feeling that is hard to get past. The intriguing elements are often overshadowed by the questionable moments, but in the end, it's this lighthearted playfulness that makes DJ Marcelle who she is. While it may work for many, it may not for others, but really, that is part of the charm.
Refusing to be pigeonholed, DJ Marcelle takes her unique, playful approach to electronic music and dance to interesting places with her latest, A Different Fridge for Cheese. Its zaniness may be an acquired taste, but even if it's not up one's alley, there are nice elements to each song's construction that can be enjoyed. Definitely worthy of a few listens, this latest may not be a top ten hit, but it will definitely get one's mind working and questioning what makes music tick. To taste it for yourself Paul Casey
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