Gimme That Punk

After some three years in the wilderness Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale – aka the Audio Bullys – are back. This is the first single taken from their new album, Saturday Night Fever, and released on their very own shiny new label, Vizo Recordings.

The Audio Bullys can lay claim to have been among the pioneers, or at least the very early adopters, of the rock and rave sound, a sound that has since infected almost all dance genres and is apparent in groups as disparate as Pendulum and Hot Chip.

Here Franks and Dinsdale show their mastery of punk electronica. A simple loop with heavy snare reverb sets an aggressive tone, matched by a grimy, distorted synth that's highlighted with guitar distortion. The vocal is classic 'Laaandan': an angry chant demanding a succession of Yoof Culture icons in tones of Shoreditch Mockney, it's bound to be massive around there...

The vibe is infectious, and the rock elements are not overdone; although the "punk attitude" vocal can get a tad grating and tedious after a whole three minutes with very little variation. Nonetheless, this is still solid stuff: the bass is reminiscent of the early and better Daft Punk, and the beats are tight and punchy. One for the head bangers.

Those who are tired of the whole rock and rave trend should turn to the much deeper Block Remix, were the punk aesthetics are eschewed in favour a darker, dancier vibe. Instead of electro breaks this mix sits comfortably over a 4/4 kick rhythm; the vocals are edited and remastered to make them a little less overpowering and abrasive; while a melancholic hip-hop style melodic loop makes you want to pull silly rudeboy faces and dance the crip walk. Where the original shows off the Audio Bullys aspirations of Summer festival bookings and stadium size audiences, this mix will sit more comfortably in the sets of serious DJs and work better on dark, grimy dancefloors.

This is a return to form for the Audio Bullys, whose last album was not well received and whom critics had accused of being a stupid man's The Streets. Here they show they have a sound that, while not exactly original anymore, can stand on its own two feet. I look forward to hearing more from the album over the coming months.