2007 has been a real treat of a year for music thus far, with (to name just a few) old friends and favorites such as ADULT. and Matthew Dear putting out their best work yet, and recent finds such as Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip and our newest obsession Franz & Shape.



Franz & Shape is a duo from Italy who could be described as the bastard child of Front 242 and Vitalic. Their debut LP Acceleration was just released on Germany's Relish Recordings and features an all-star cast of guest artists including G.D. Luxxe, David Carretta, Matt Sims and Detroit's own Perspects. Inthemix says, "This is tough and rigid electro... custom built for dark rooms with leather walls where everyone dances in motor bike helmets. It smacks of sexual hedonism and narcotic revelry and you can smell the stale sweat as every track licks your ear... basslines rev like an angry Ducati, synths whip the air like rusty motor bike chains, and kick drums pump like filthy pistons."


On a total tangnet: what is not a treat is the nearly $9,000 self-employment tax (on top of normal income taxes) I was smacked with by the feds yesterday. Isn't this supposed to be a "culture of entrepreneurs" or something? Way to encourage small businesses! The IOU is in the mail...