Boys Noize creator (and singular “he” not “they”) Alexander Ridha has had great success transforming indie anthems, most notably Bloc Party’s “Banquet” and Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”, into club necessities.  With his debut Oi Oi Oi, Ridha brings the club home in this engrossing although inconsistent work.

The album begins with a punk-like immediacy -no flowery, wistful intros- just pure distorted intensity, like the start of peak hour at your favorite big room.  And that is the point of his craft; no nonsense, no bullshit, no need for artistic range, just pure dance insanity from the land of now.  With lyrics like “Dance, dance, dance! Yeah!” it’s clear that subtlety is no longer a viable tool in the DJ’s artillery.  This is an album in name only; tracks are thrown together with no thought, or need, for cohesion.  For dance music however, this is a feature, not a bug.

Oi Oi Oi spans the pantheon of European influences that dominate modern electro-clash/house/nu-rave/“dance music”, from the near-ancient sound of French Touch, to the most distorted and contemporary of Parisian post-Daft music.  Boys Noize creates no boundaries, as long as the beat is there.  This makes for enjoyable listening, as quick, complex tracks ensure the listener (almost) never grows bored.  However, some of the songs feel too skeletal, as if they too are waiting to be remixed by the next Alex Ridha.   Whatever the faults, this album is a solid work aimed strictly for the dance floor, and right now, what more would you expect?

Grade: B                     

Reviewed by Zach Best