It's not what you think it is. 4hero's Dego McFarlane already had a handful of 12" releases and other scattered appearances under his belt as Pavel Kostiuk when the low-key And the Musicals full-length materialized. Co-Op, Archive, Visions Inc., and McFarlane's own 2000 Black were outlets for the likes of Nana Nomura, Techno Boogie, and Willo the Wisp, but titles like H.M.S. Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance (the latter featuring Roy Ayers on vibes and vox) signaled a trend -- a trend that continues throughout And the Musicals. While it would've been a wild concept to cover the show tune themes that these tracks are named after, McFarlane merely co-opts the titles, taking his work further down a road that began with his more out-there productions on Creating Patterns (think Twothesme and Eight, not Hold It Down and Golden Solitude). Complex drum programming, blaring keyboard lines, smears of synthetic strings, and the occasional jerk of cello run throughout, with tempo variation from track to track that ranges from mid-tempo boogie to full-on percussive menace. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the most aptly titled track; McFarlane was surely in a rank mood when he put it together, as it's centered around furious drum breaks and equally ill-tempered keyboard patterns -- listen closely during one stretch, and you'll even hear a distant guitar grinding away in the distance. Most everything else is tranquil by comparison, yet there are a couple moments where McFarlane relies too much on the monotonous niceties that plague most other broken beat producers at one point or another. Once locked in to these grooves, the hold can become tight. And the Musicals might not be as representative of West London broken beat as Agent K's Feed the Cat or Bugz in the Attic's Fabriclive mix, but it's a strong release that's deserving of more attention. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

1		Oklahoma
2		Mikado
3		West Side Story
4		The King and I
5		Cats
6		South Pacific
7		Bugsy Malone
8		Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
9		H.M.S. Pinafore
10		Oliver

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow