Catz 'n' Dogz - Stars of the Zoo

Better known for their work as 3 Channels with releases on Crosstown Rebels, Trapez, Pokerflat and pretty much every other underground techno label, Poland’s finest producers assume the Catz ‘n’ Dogz moniker for an excursion into deep and tech-house territory. There’s plenty of cross-over elements though; 2 and My Zoo is Your Zoo are firmly rooted in Detroit fan-boy territory, albeit with live percussion and instrumentation softening the mechanistic edges. These drum breaks and live synths add a cinematic, widescreen quality to Stars of the Zoo, and Sunset in the East closes the album by fully indulging this - segueing from European minimal tech into pure blaxploitation funk. Though not reconfiguring the universe, Stars of the Zoo combines house, techno and soul to great effect, and is an stalwart addition to Three Channels’ high-quality output. [Liam Arnold]