Dave.I.D. - Gangs

Dave.I.D, hailing from London, has an interesting moniker, albeit not very inventive and not to be confused with another who dabbles in electric sounds, Will.i.am. Post punk, trip hop, electronic and a whole host of other sounds and influences come to mind; the oft overused phrase genre-mashing has never been so relevant. Bloc Party, Portishead, TV On The Radio to name but a few, and despite these elements, Dave.I.D manages to put a distinctive stamp on his music.

Though reminiscent of the recent wave in nu-rave in part (Crystal Castle, These New Puritans, Klaxons et al), complete with the occasional games inspired beeps, with ‘Gangs’ Dave.I.D pushes the boundaries in amalgamating industrial and post punk sounds. This is not an audio assault, as such, as it affords much depth and atmosphere for introspective reflection.

‘Only Me I Can Save’ finds Dave.I.D delivering with conviction, oozing confidence both lyrically and musically. From echoes to falsetto, the vocals though detached, are pivotal in tying the sound together, from electronic beeps to industrial crashes. Again, drums and layered sounds are reflected in the quite excellent ‘Marvel’ and ‘X-F’. The words swim in the ocean of doom, a strangely uplifting record. ‘Memory Loss’ reinforces Dave.I.D’s need to stand alone and not allowing anyone to get in his way, infect his mind as he tells everyone ‘it doesn’t get to me, people shouldn’t mess with me’. Finishing with ‘Lights’ this short and sweet record shows much promise with an exciting look towards what we can expect from his debut album.

What is a frustrating yet refreshing aspect about Dave.I.D is a lack of an online presence. Bar the obligatory web/myspace pages, in this day and age this is a rarity, thus allowing Dave.I.D to let his music speak volumes. Turn it up and let yourself loose in a whirlwind of different sounds and see if you can pinpoint where he is coming from. Or indeed going.

The Black Eyed Peas have nothing on him.