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Solex vs. The Hitmeister
Amsterdam collagist / songwriter Liesbeth Esselink is an alchemist. This, her debut album, was apparently made up entirely of samples from records in the remainder bins of the second hand store she worked in. But she truly transformed them into gold. There’s a rough and ready approach to sampling, and an arched eyebrow to her self-referential titles, that might make you think this was a novelty record. But the absolute fusion of beats with songwriting — less electronica or hip hop than postpunk, Joe Meek, 60s girl group, Nancy Sinatra - that brings it to life. Fitting perfectly into a late 90s feminist electronic cut and paste wave (think Chicks On Speed, Juana Molina, People Like Us), this is a glorious piece of work and the beginning of a quietly brilliant career.