Brian Hieggelke

The second U.N.K.L.E. record, "Never, Never, Land," plays like a futuristic cinema soundtrack so richly rendered that you can even hear the images. This record hit the shelves in the UK in the summer of 2003 and immediately landed the group on the covers of Mixmag and Jockey Slut magazines. The former called it the album of the year and dubbed U.N.K.L.E. "the most important dance band on the planet." Needless to say, we've been waiting a long time for this to hit the States. The project of James Lavelle, founder of the seminal record label Mo' Wax (credited with the development of trip-hop, plus artists like DJ Krush and Shadow), and vocalist Richard File, this U.N.K.L.E. release is something of a supergroup effort, like the first--1998's "Psyence Fiction" which featured DJ Shadow as principal co-architect with Lavelle and included collaborations with Mike D of the Beastie Boys, Thom Yorke and Badly Drawn Boy. Most notably, "Never" features the contributions of Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, 3D from Massive Attack, Brian Eno and Jarvis Cocker, and, in their first work together since the band broke up, Stone Roses' Ian Brown and Mani. It could easily have turned into a hodgepodge, but Lavelle's production and File's enigmatic voice bring consistency to the fore. With trippy soundscapes and a blend of subterranean house and ambient downtempo, U.N.K.L.E. should make for an unusual night at Sound-Bar; expect to see three live musicians fronting the DJ booth in a "decks and effects" multimedia performance. Bring your dancing shoes; Lavelle's an old club pro with a long residency at Fabric in London, and the record's housey beats sneak up on the listener in a way I expect they won't need to on Friday night.

U.N.K.L.E. plays Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario, (312)787-4480, on October 29.

(2004-10-27)

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