GHETTOBLASTER - ARMAND VAN HELDEN
Dance bad boy Armand Van Helden is known for flipping off stylistic expectations and doing his own thing. During his 15-year career he’s made everything from pure house to hip-hop to hybrid dance-rock — some lingering hits, some utterly forgotten. But the 12 tracks on “Ghettoblaster” finally unify his multiple personalities, through the lens of ’80s revivalism. With a colorful troupe of collaborators (including best-kept-secret New York band Kudu and hip-hop star Fat Joe), Van Helden taps into the decade’s every musical current. There’s high-drama New York freestyle (”Still in Love”), jacking Chicago house (”Je T’aime”), first-wave party rap (”This Ain’t Hollywood”), total pop indulgence (”Go Crazy”), funky art-rock a la ESG (”Playing House”) and unexpected combinations of them all. Van Helden pulls it off with an energetic authenticity that puts the rehashed mashup craze to shame. Billboard
