Abe Duque - Don't Be So Mean

Abe Duque used to be a marine, he’s been arrested for ‘potential terrorism’, and the press bumpf tells us that he knows how to use the machine gun on the album cover. Well, I’d be a fool not to say this is without a doubt the best album I have ever heard. Actually, even if he is a machinegun-toting ex-marine hunting down an unfavourable review, I’m pretty good at hide and seek, so here’s a more accurate take on his work.
 
Don’t Be So Mean is a ‘sly comment on American foreign policy’, but it’s hard to see how techno can have a political message. The techno is solid, quite dark at times, and definitely has a military jungle feel to it in parts. Tracks like Life Is So Good to Me and Tonight Is Your Answer are very beat driven and fairly uninspiring, but other tracks on the album give Duque a chance to show off some ingenuity. Forever Untitled is a well-crafted piece of propaganda that does sound like a homage to soldiers overseas. Wake Up takes a lighter view of the techno sound by introducing a more melodic overlay, and Following my Heart has welcomed vocals to add some variety to the album.
 
The album is an impressive creation. It is by no means easy-listening, but it is a well-thought through piece of dark techno. It’s hard to say whether this would ignite a club or pummel it into submission, but it’s best listened to keeping in mind Duque’s interesting background; all in all, a rare victory for techno with a message.