With this 2012 release, Steam Days, Fake cites a back-to-basics approach in blending the history-of-popular-dance-electronic-as-we-know-it into simplistic, easy to passively consume melodic beat tunes. The album strikes me as something which works best when enjoyed passively on a commute. Nothing revolutionary, just decent tunes centered on no-frills melodies. There is some use of clever production techniques but nothing over-the-top like the excessive ‘wub wub’ of current generic dubstep.

While definitely a decent listen, I feel there isn’t much to grab onto here. Everything checks out technically and the unique style blend makes for a definitive sound. The rhythms are varied, the synth timbres run the gamut from airy to gritty. There’s just a certain lackadaisical quality that I can’t quite pinpoint – which delineates a certain limited shelf life. Better check it out, before it expires.