Limited edition box set version of Ed Rec III! This super deluxe import edition features the entire album on 6 separate 12"s (one track per side for maximum bang) and the full length CD version all in a heavyweight box with artwork by So-Me.

The long awaited Ed Rec III comp is here, in all its French touch glory. You know the deal - fresh So-Me art on the outside and a whole mess of new and unreleased tracks from the Ed Banger fam on the inside. Mr. Flash's "Over the Top(1)" mixes anthemic rock with a solid four on the floor, laced with lavish synths and even a solo! SebastiAn follows suit with "Dog(2)" but bests Flash's hardness with an all out barrage of metal/hardcore sound in his own signature chopped style. (This is what I imagine would be playing during a bad trip.) Don't get me wrong - I'm quite a fan of hardcore music, but this one could turn the breakdance circle into a mosh pit. Feadz's production for Uffie on "Robot Oeuf" is cool, but his real killer is "Back It Up(3)" with Spank Rock. Justice's live performance of "Stress (4)" rounds out disc one with its orchestro/electro blasts, full of all the lasers, pizzicato strings and timpani rolls you like and then some. Disc two is kicked off with one my personal favorites of the comp, Mr. Oizo's "Minuteman's Pulse(5)," and it is signature Oizo sound. A mesh of left field in the intro, but it comes together with a saxophone ditty, more lasers and strings. Second fav of this comp is Medhi's track "Pocket Piano(6)" - it's got a classic disco feel to it with rhythmic piano and congo patterns giving it life. Ed Banger art maestro So-Me rounds out the comp with with "Decalcomania(7)," a reflection of what his graphic work would be if it played sound - a solid, driving banger. 12 tracks total.

reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red