Kenny Larkin Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
The Narcissist may not be the kick in the pants or the forward move that techno has been needing for years, but an inspired set of machine soul from one of Detroit's valued veterans should always be a welcomed thing. Kenny Larkin has been away from track-making for quite some time -- one unusual vicissitude keeping him has been his career as a standup comedian (rather than, say, producer's block or a packed schedule of lucrative DJ gigs across the globe). His return for Peacefrog is mostly low-key, especially when compared to his pair of mid-'90s albums. That's not to say that it's the least bit out of character. Most of the tracks lend themselves to a solitary freeway cruise a lot more than a packed dancefloor, put together with a keen sense of detail that often seems to value open spaces as much as effective drum patterns. (This will probably be at the expense of some listeners who found more to gnaw on in his hard-charging 4/4 workouts of yesteryear.) Through "Mono e Mono"'s coarse breakbeats, "A Part of Me"'s irregular percolations, "My Reflection"'s jazzy stutter-steps, and "Fortune Teller"'s graceful pulses, Larkin cunningly sculpts and maintains a particular mood without ever stopping the flow of ideas. The best is saved for last: like Carl Craig's "A Wonderful Life," "In the Meantime" stalks pensively and swirls around with delicately pattering percussion and lulling chords, fading to end as if it could come back at any moment -- in your subconscious, perhaps? This track alone justifies the producer's extended period of inactivity and needs to be licensed to a soundtrack for a psychological thriller as soon as possible. The fact that Larkin can go away for so long and come up with one single track that decimates certain active producers' collective works is a testament to his enduring talent. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Larkin's second full-length arguably betters his debut, charting much of the distinctive geography found on Azimuth. The highlights here, including the title track plus "Nocturnal" and "Loop 1," use the same whirling space-funk and haunted-synth techno from Azimuth, with a better attention to his 808 programming. What lifts Metaphor above its predecessor comes with its detours, into beatless territory with "Java" and the dense looped techno reminiscent of his Dark Comedy alias on "Catatonic (First State)." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Larkin's work has evidenced a sharp turn away from the dancefloor, incorporating compositional elements of ambient and armchair techno, while remaining true at least in spirit to his roots. Azimuth is a pretty successful example of this trend, although the combination works best on tracks such as "Funk in Space" where rhythmic play is given fuller reign. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
