"To use the machines, and not be used by the machines"--this is the policy under which Air Liquide operates. And although Red follows some fairly basic dance music maneuvers, Air Liquide show off a little of this ingenuity in this creation.
Two men run the operation: Walker and Jammin' Unit. It is known that Walker studied electronic composition and the University of Cologne, and produced hip-hop and house records until the studio went bankrupt. Walker later formed Air Liquide with Jammin' Unit, who still remains a bit of a mystery.
So they put together Red, a record that would perform well on or off the dance floor. The best songs are faster and very catchy ("Interactive Warlords", "Ex-Stasis", "Live in New York - part 3", "MP3"), with slamming, scratchy samples repeated over constant, irregular backbeats (somewhat similar to, but not nearly as loud or eccentric as much of Aphex Twin's I Care Because You Do). Other tracks ("Der Laufer", "Live at Ultraschall - part II", "Theme From Robot Wars") are even more skillfully designed concerning the arrangement and variety of sounds presented, and also make for interesting listening. Yet other tracks are not conceptual, experimental, or dance-oriented/"fun" in their nature, but just tedious ("If There Were No Gravity", "Tanz Der Lemminge II").
Overall, though, this is a fine offering--Air Liquide presents us with an "enhanced" dance album. Besides, we can't deny the functional aspect of Red - and the unique qualities apparent to the discerning ear make Red an important statement as well. Not your usual ride - trip, trip, that is.
