Kerowack, the DJs and live performers Dan Gerber and Soul Good bust out of London’s acid revival with their first multi-track release ‘the First EP.’ Kerowack jumps on the “genre-defying” bandwagon that’s becoming oh so fashionable these days amongst hipsters everywhere. Fortunately, Gerber and Good actually have quite bit of substance and manage to steer the wagon in the right direction. These guys didn’t just put together a compilation of tracks from various genres for the sheer sake of coming off like a bunch of mash-up artists. Everything on Kerowack’s EP manages to have unifying feel to it, all while encompassing a broad variety of musical landscapes within a similar theme.

“Dirtgrabber,” the first track on the EP manages to set electro-rock on its head with a funky array of fuzzy bass and some of the best use of squelchy noise since Alter Ego’s “Rocker.” The next track titled “Fuck Guitars” features a deliberate, unstoppable bass that steamrolls through the track with Basement Jaxx’s Millie Blue lending her vocal talents on top. Doc Brown raps over the next track, “Keep It Movin,” which manages to blend what is essentially a track that would fit on a hip-hop album neatly into this compilation without seeming out of place. Kerowack goes into a conglomeration of acid electro and phazers that starts of sounding like it could be the theme for some neo-70’s cop flick. From there, “Joolz” slows things down a bit with a melancholy, synthy melody layered over dark atmospheric bassiness. “Harpooner” closes things out with a quicker pace, using a juxtaposition of what sounds like a bunch of old-school Nintendo melodies over a broken tuba.

Dan Gerber and Saul Good manage to put together one of the standout releases of the year with “The First EP.” These guys are on point, having their debut single “Dirty Bumf” featured prominently on Radio One a few years back and getting wide support by a bunch of major DJ’s, Kerowack’s the release is poised to launch these guys into the stratosphere, or at the very least into that narrow pool of approval agreed upon by hipsters everywhere. Look for "The First EP" in the EU on December 3rd, and in the US on January 1st, 2008.

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