'Our Associates' is the first compilation of artists on the English label Superstonic Records.

Chances are you have never heard any of the five artists appearing on this comp.

Superstonic has it together. The whole package reminds me of the ATOC comp 'A Touch Of Class Sucks' - and that is a good thing.

Sweetie reminds me of the Klein Records artist Princess Him. The music has a touch of italo-disco about it - kind of a post-electroclash sound.

Mace is purely instrumental. The music reminds me of a Larry Tee production, almost like the song It Kills that he wrote for WIT.

Lexi is a porn princess come to life. She is pure sex coded into ones and zeros for a compact disc. Luckily, the music is good. Whether you like her music or not will depend strictly upon your attitude about using sex to sell music (not that Lexi is selling tens of records).

Laz is kind of a trip-hop/chillout affair, with Eastern sounding female vocals, spacey sounds and beats.

Elaex is like a blend of Mace and Laz. It has the same rock guitar sound as Mace, but the Bar de Lune sound of Laz.

I get the feeling that the same production team and players are involved in all of the songs. Though the styles vary a bit, the sound of the productions are consistent throughout. I like what they are doing, and hope that this label can get some decent distribution.

1. Sweetie - Touch Me
   This was the first release ever for superstonic as a 12inch. The song is a female vocal electroclash styled cut.
2. Sweetie - Bison
   A softer female vocal song with a sound like the signature notes from the X Files TV show.
3. Sweetie - Touch Me (Dub)
   The dub version of Touch Me is quite good. The music is real sharp, and the vocals are removed completely except for the sound of breaths.
4. Mace - Just Like That
   An instrumental that has a rock guitar right up front, and some Eastern sounding effects. At some points the guitar has the Greg Ginn Black Flag sound (solo with Gibson guitar and bass pickup)
5. Mace - Mr.Grimsdale
   Bass guitar with fuzzbox is the main ingredient in this electronic/rock instrumental.
6. Mace - 98.4
   A reverb spy theme guitar is the most upfront element in this slower/moodier cinematic instrumental.
7. Lexi - Liquid Love
   Very sexy song with female kind of spoken vocals talking about desire. The sexual nature of the lyrics will drive some away from this track, but it is a good song. There isn't one curse in the song, but it comes off as more risque than Peaches or Miss Kittin anyday.
8. Lexi - On The Beach
   The enunciation sounds very New York like Melissa of Chicks On Speed. The story being told could have come out of Penthouse Forum. Basically a reading of an erotic story of a beachside lesbian encounter put to music. Like Liquid Love, this is a pretty good song, but forget about playing this on the air - it is quite explicit.
9. Lexi - Dial Me
   The only one of the three Lexi songs you could play on the radio. Unfortunately, it isn't the best offering from her. It is a song about a girl waiting for her lover to come over her house, calling him after he promised to come by but hasn't arrived.
10. Laz - Abiseenya
    Female vocals and trip hop beats.
11. Laz - Dream Reactify
    Spacious instrumental music that sounds like some of the tracks on the Bar de Lune 'Studio Sessions' comp (read gullbuy review of Studio Sessions).
12. Elaex - Mendeleev
    An slightly-more-upbeat-than-chillout instrumental track with rock guitar
13. Elaex - Question The Dog
    Interesting sounds and changes in pace make this more dynamic than a chillout track. The guitar is playing a reggae riff, and the electronic is very dry, as opposed to the sweeping warm sounds usually heard in chilled tracks.