The Neon Judgement - Smack EP

Written by Youri Jozee

Wave/Electro

The Neon Judgement, one of the world’s coolest bands of the 80s, drops a preview of their forthcoming album in the form of the Smack EP, ft. remixes by DJ 3000, Christopher Kah, Bodyspasm vs DDD, Radical G, and 3D. Rad…?

Shit yeah! And the best thing is that The Neon Judgement is still covering the same topics as 30 years ago:  cold war, depression, love, neon, mass consumption… pretty much anything that made the Electro/New Wave genre such a joy (er…) to listen to. You may have noticed that the eighties revival still isn’t over (it now officially lasts longer than the actual 80s era and there’s no end in sight yet… just have a look at some of today’s indie, rock and dance music…) so that makes the band all the more relevant again.

The Neon Judgement anno 2010 has that same sound to it as their fellow country artists The Subs and Goose. Rocktronica with a filthy New Wavian touch, fueled by roaring synths and menacing drums. This is the real shit ladies and gents. DJ 3000’s rework of The Great Consumer is a first class big room banger with sick guitars being combined to typical TNJ vox, whereas Christopher Kah’s remix of Leash goes deep down and doomy with incredible electros synths and an incredibly dark overall theme. Massive build-up, freaking great tune!

Another highlight is the slamming Smack (3D Re-Edit) that sounds as if a posse of circuit-bended industrial war machines is stampeding through your speakers. Huge beats here, roaring electro fx too, plus a sweet dose of apocalyptical drums on the side.

There’s no room for hilarity when The Neon Judgement comes crashing in. These guys mean as much business as they did in their heyday and these remixes only enhance that vibe. If you’re a sucker for heavy hitting industrial, New Wave, Krautrock and electro with an unmistakable 80s twist (and you think that those Ed Banger artists are a bunch of clowns), then don’t even think of letting this one pass you by.

Rating: 8.5/10
Label: Dancedelic Digital
Release date: October 11th, 2010