Mr. C

Mr. C was a member of early rave group the Shamen, and to some extent, it still shows, even though he left the group in the mid 1990s. It’s taken until now for Mr. C to put together a debut solo album, which is not to detract from the singles and mix CDs he’s released, the label he runs, End Recordings, and the London club he co-owns, The End. All of these have had a major influence on the development of the tech-house sound. On Change, Mr. C has mostly tech-house and house, with forays into other dance genres. There is a good variety of tempos and song styles. "Change” starts things off very slowly, before "Ascention” gets things going with a proper house beat. Then his vocals come in, which sound like Yello circa 1987. Luckily this trend is quickly reversed on the next track with Robert Owens’ vocals on "The Club.” Still, oddments abound, such as the synthetic flutes of "Carousel,” and the harmonica and country and western vibe of "Hectic Times.” In addition to many house tracks on this album, there is also the electro of "Terricola” and the delicate jungle track "Polar Shift.” Unfortunately, the album never seems to gel. Mr. C may have bitten off more than he can chew.