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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

En-Tact

The Shamen

1990

En-Tact
Album Summary

En-Tact is the fourth studio album by Scottish band the Shamen, released in 1990. It was the first Shamen album to feature Mr C, and the last to feature Will Sinnott (who died on 23 May 1991). It fused the band's past psychedelic rock sounds with the rave act it became, developing a style that represented multicultural dance music.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.43

Votes

7028
Genres
Electronica

Reviews

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Sun Feb 27 2022
2

Really putting the shame into shamen

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Thu Jul 28 2022
2

Like being at a rave with all the lights on.

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Sun Feb 27 2022
1

Listening to this record was like washing your dick in a sink after spending two weeks shagging the granny out of your own cat.

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Thu Mar 17 2022
1

I pride myself on being somewhat of a chameleon. And being able to adapt. But someone, anyone, get me out of this gay bar.

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Mon Jun 07 2021
1

Absolute garbage. Repetitive, uninteresting, dated, meaningless new-agey-druggy lyrics, awful sound, terrible singing - tedious beyond belief. Not even close to being an essential album and nothing like the best example of its genre. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

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Fri Aug 26 2022
3

This is a solid sequence of tracks. With a tab of acid, it'd probably be 6 stars.

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Fri Mar 05 2021
2

This album started with high hopes from me. A promise of mixing psychedelic rock and hardcore hip hop rhythms from Spotify's band description, however this was not what I expected. This is because this album actually comes from their acid house era which they became known for. This album started out with a bang, and soon became very samey to me. I know that's the case with this kind of music so maybe it needs a few more listens from me to get to grips with the subtleties of it, especially as i'm not really listening well when coding these days. To be honest this is a no from me dawg. 2 because I liked some tunes but mostly it's not my cup of tea.

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Thu Jul 22 2021
1

Don’t think this aged very well...

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Thu Mar 17 2022
1

Track 1: 9 seconds in and rapidly approaching "No." Track 2: "I'm SMOOOOTH - Like water from a fountain!" *ugh* Track 3: END

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Wed Dec 22 2021
5

1990 - Techno, Electronica, Acid house, House music

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Wed Jan 05 2022
5

Really good early 90s electronic music. Solid all the way through

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Sun Nov 13 2022
5

Somewhere in 1993 I discovered Boss Drum, The Shamen’s follow up album to En-Tact. I fell in love with the sound and enjoyed listening to that album. For whatever reason I never ventured any further into their catalog. I enjoyed this album as well. The opening track Move Any Mountain and the Pro Gen remix at the end are fantastic. The rest of the album was great. My raving days may be largely behind me, but this is a great high-energy choice for doing work around the house!

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Sun Nov 13 2022
5

Another solid groove for a Saturday dance party. Really enjoyed it!

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Sun Oct 31 2021
4

The Shaman were actually pretty good at one point, when Will Sinnott was still around and Mr C wasn't talking over the top of every track. This is probably their peak, when they were still mixing some of their psychedelic roots into a house sound, and before they lapsed into one dimensional rave party anthems.

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Fri Feb 26 2021
3

You thought I was gonna give this a 1, didn't you?

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Fri Jun 18 2021
2

I don't think I've ever listened to an album more reminiscent of the 90s than this one. Some decent melodies and occasional guitar work on here, but it's not enough to escape the LP's datedness or lack of forward momentum.

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Sun Jun 20 2021
2

I don't know man, I am sure this is someones vibe. But as a person not alive in 1990 it feels super old. Like not aged super well, I could see it being like a new synth electronic thing. But man, It's so old, it feels kinda comedic to a certain point. And it's like crazy long. Felt like a slog to get through. to each their own, however this isn't mine.

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Wed Oct 27 2021
2

Schwierig. Hat seine Momente. Über weite Strecken allerdings alles andere als abwechslungsreich. Mich nervt solche Art elektronischer Musik sehr leicht, da macht dieses Album keine Ausnahme.

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Wed Dec 29 2021
2

I did not enjoy this even a little bit. I don't think I would enjoy this even if I was at a rave all hopped up on ecstasy. Nothing personal against The Shamen, I'm sure they are fine fellows, but it's just not my thing. 2 stars.

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Wed Aug 11 2021
1

Horrible pseudo multi-cultural rave music. Truly execrable.

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Fri Feb 18 2022
1

It's like someone drilling into my forehead. Make it stop.

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Sun Mar 27 2022
1

What the fuck is this shit now? I feel a hatred and rage of Joan Crawford proportions coming on. “NO ELECTRONICA!! NO ELECTRONICA EVEEEEERRRR!!!!!”

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Fri Aug 19 2022
1

From the first song, I thought I would need to be wearing parachute pants to truly enjoy this album. But then Human NRG took a left turn and made me think I should have taken drugs to enjoy it. Maybe both were required and would have been epic. In the end, I made it to Hear Me and turned it off.

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Wed Aug 24 2022
1

I'd rather listen to my ass.

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Sun Jun 18 2023
1

One of the worst things I've ever heard. Everything that was wrong with the 90s. Example lyric: "Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Y-y-y-yeah yeah Yeah yeah Ooh oh, ooh oh, ooh oh Yeah yeah hyperreal Ooh oh, yeah yeah hyperreal" Hypersh*t. Rating: 1/5 Playlist track: Pro-Gen Date listened: 17/06/23

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Mon Jan 31 2022
5

I am familiar with THE SHAMEN and the album EN-TACT, since I have it, but I haven’t listened to it to since the early 90’s, since the rave culture went out of fashion. After listening to EN-TACT, I knew I would like it at the beginning from what I remember from it, but I was rather surprised how well the album held up after repeated listening. I thought it would sound dated after a while but, no, it still sounds fresh and vibrant although the rave culture has subsided. I like EN-TACT more now than I did in the 90’s. I’m glad for this re-listen. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE SHAMEN’s EN-TACT Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE SHAMEN (5.0) Rate Album (Year): EN-TACT (US 1991 Original) (5.0) Ranking of THE SHAMEN - EN-TACT songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. "Move Any Mountain" (Progen - Beatmasters 7") 3:28 10.0/10 02. "Human Nrg (Massey)" 4:39 10.0/10 03. "Possible Worlds: Deep PSI" 3:44 10.0/10 04. "Omega Amigo" 4:44 09.5/10 05. "Evil Is Even [Edit]" 4:23 10.0/10 - Instrumental 06. "Hyperreal Orbit" (Early Fade) 5:22 10.0/10 07. "Lightspan" 4:39 10.0/10 08. "Make It Mine" (v1.3 Lenny D Vox) 3:32 10.0/10 09. "Oxygen Restriction" 3:49 10.0/10 10. "Hear Me" (O My People) (Edit) Orbital 5:11 10.0/10 11. "666 Edit" (Move Any Mountain) 4:48 09.5/10 12. "Make It Minimal" 3:18 10.0/10 13. "Hyperreal Selector" (Edit) 4:01 10.0/10 14. "Lightspan Soundwave" (Edit) 4:19 10.0/10 15. "Progen 91 [I.R.P. in the Land of Oz]" 5:21 10.0/10 Original US 1991 Release 149.0/150 = 9.93 / 2 = 4.97

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Wed Mar 22 2023
5

Kick back and have a party , this album is banging

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Mon Sep 21 2020
4

Very fun, will put on at a party

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Fri Jan 22 2021
4

90s hacker movie soundtrack. Good workout music.

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Fri Feb 05 2021
4

This album has a really nice dance/trance feel. I'm a little surprised that I haven't heard it before, as it came out around the time when I would have been getting into it. This style isn't my go-to anymore, but the album is a solid 4 stars.

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Fri Feb 05 2021
4

Wow! Not my Sudhakar style but liked it

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Sun Apr 18 2021
4

I liked that pretty well! I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was pretty good listening for doing the dishes and such. :)

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Fri Mar 05 2021
4

Pretty decent, liked all the songs. Super ravey and varied and interesting, and not like anything I've heard before. If I gave it a little more time to appreciate it I could probably upgrade it to a 5.

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Thu May 27 2021
4

Very inspiring lyrics. I got a warmer sound from this than what I hear of today's electronic dance music. Some cool guitar on make it mine. There's plenty of interesting artistic moments/choices made that deviate from the same old regular dance track.

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Fri Oct 22 2021
4

36. En-Tact - The Shamen 15 tracks. What a brilliant blast from the past this was. A little more raw than some of their other stuff but it was a great listen. Not far off a 5/5. 4/5.

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Fri Dec 03 2021
4

-Probably one of the best electronic-type albums I've heard. Always upbeat and fast-paced with interesting and developing beats. -Nothing really stood out, but I still enjoyed listening

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Fri Jan 14 2022
4

“A humping great tower block of a hugely infectious dance chorus.”

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Wed May 04 2022
4

Huh. Wasn't hopeful from the cover but this is actually pretty interesting. Good backing track for my life today. I'm glad to have listened.

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Mon May 30 2022
4

Not sure at the start, ended up kinda digging it.

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Thu Jun 02 2022
4

How is it that the hardest dance beats in the club have cured into the perfect chill out grooves? I still love this but for none of the reasons I loved it the first time.

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Thu Aug 18 2022
4

Pretty good first listen with a lot to digest first time around. A bit of a shock to the system with the stylistics and general theme of the album but altogether a nice piece. Particularly enjoy the themes of centerpiece song "Move Every Mountain" being smattered throughout the tracklist, though it can get a little repetitive.

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Thu Aug 25 2022
4

pretty fun didn’t really sound too special imo, all EDM kinda sounds the same to me but still, it was a good listen - 8/10

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Wed Sep 21 2022
4

This is like listening to a REALLY good video game sound track

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Wed Sep 28 2022
4

I'm digging these 90s dance vibes.

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Thu Sep 29 2022
4

Electronic, 1989. Animado y no cansino. 4

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Sun Nov 13 2022
4

For my first listen, I was driving in the car with the volume kind of low as my passenger tried to sleep. So, it was a bit underwhelming, but I sensed that it was some proper dance/trance music. Later, I listened with earbuds as I rode in the passenger's seat. You know, it somehow wasn't as good as I imagined it would be when I was kind of making up the details I couldn't hear all that well on my first listen. Good, though.

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Fri Feb 24 2023
4

The Shaman was a band that a friend of mine used to play a lot so I kind of knew what to expect going in. The first 4 or 5 tracks were a good a listen with “Omega Amigo” being a favorite but there is a lot of filler on here too. All in all when you look at what else was coming out in electronic music in 1990 they were somewhat ahead of their time. Cut about 30 minutes off of the album and it would have been awesome.

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Fri Apr 07 2023
4

Not bad! Worth coming back to at some point. Overall, it’s probably close to a 3.5, but I’ll go with 4.

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Thu May 04 2023
4

Liked the first song the most (great wake up dance song). But the rest of the album had a lot of great vibes.

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Mon May 08 2023
4

I liked this for some reason

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Wed Jun 14 2023
4

Whilst this is far from my favourite music. The more I progressed in the trance, the more I got pulled into it. I started to appreciate if more and more along the way. It’s a nice album especially when it gets melodic! 8 out of 10

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Tue Jun 27 2023
4

An interesting curio from the time before techno became mass-marketed and saturated. The music is interesting and experimental, the lyrics are absolutely awful and sound like they were written on a cigarette packet at 3 AM. "Move Any Mountain" shows up three times on the album, which is a shame (n) because it overshadows some of the better instrumental tracks here.

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Thu Jun 29 2023
4

Groovy and pop-y. Good bopping your head music.

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Fri Jul 28 2023
4

Never heard of this. But this was great. An album pointing forward to nineties rave culture. There are way too many dismissive voices towards electronic music on this site. This is definitely accomplished dance music, with varied and surprising layers mixed into its pulsating repetitiveness. It fit perfectly for this Saturday night. Contrary to what a lot of the commentators write, I believe this is on equal footing with the more famous acts of the era. Just look past the 90’s dance rap stuff and you’ll find a good electronic record. Stand outs: “Possible Worlds: Deep PSI”, “Hyperreal Orbit”, “Lightspan Soundwave” and “Progen 91”.

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Thu Sep 14 2023
4

I’m glad I didn’t know about this in the 90s. I would have thought it awful and everything I hated about music. Now in the 20s I can hear it and respect it. Was happy to have this one on the list.

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Sun Sep 24 2023
4

Some cool electronica on this but it does get a bit samey and is overly long. I'll admit I am partly giving this a 4 to balance out a harsh average for this one.

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Wed Oct 14 2020
3

Enjoyable, surprisingly catchy and positive hooks, makes you want to get up and dance. Feels like I should be on speed in a 90s office. Or tripping balls at a house party. Very little in between. Much of it melts into each other although you shouldn't be sober enough to realize it any way. Standout Tracks: Move Any Mountain, Possible Worlds, Omega Amigo, Evil Is Even

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Thu Dec 10 2020
3

Kinda mindless techno-ish, not my bag

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Thu Jan 21 2021
3

Not the worst thing I’ve ever listened to. Most songs were pretty catchy, but it definitely reminded me of the band they form in Revenge of the Nerds.

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Sun Feb 21 2021
3

electronica, Psychedelic rock + Rave, könnte Soundtrack für einen Film sein, starke 3

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Fri Feb 05 2021
3

Not really my cup of tea, but sounds good!

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Sun Jan 31 2021
3

Hyvää settiä, sopii hyvin työskentelyyn taustamusaksi :) semmosia 80 luvun synakikkailun jälkimaininkeja, itselleni tuntematon bändi ja levy etupeltoon.

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Mon Feb 15 2021
3

I am surprised I liked it, but I did.

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Fri Mar 12 2021
3

Raveros no enteros, acid house y techno rock y algo de ambient, a la altura de los primeros Primal Scream.

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Thu Mar 18 2021
3

Fun album, nice to dance to. Still feels a bit dated now!

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Wed Jun 09 2021
3

This is fine… some interesting sounds going on here and there I guess. I just…do not understand the appeal of listening to music like this outside the context of a club or a car chase scene in an action movie or something lol

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Sat Apr 24 2021
3

A high energy ball of fun. A little one note and very early 90s dance but I still enjoyed it. Vocals were meh.

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Thu May 13 2021
3

Good album for working out. I’m not sure how often I’d listen to it on my own, but it’s decent. I especially like Omega Amigo!

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Thu May 27 2021
3

The sound of 90s electronic 🎶

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Fri Jul 30 2021
3

Bit of nostalgia, couple of really good tracks but the rest haven’t aged so well.

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Mon Aug 02 2021
3

I had a sister who was a couple of years older than me (still is in fact) and so I used to hear some of these tunes blasting from her bedroom. Pure 90's dance. Best Tracks: Move Any Mountain, Omega Amigo, 666 Edit

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Wed Aug 11 2021
3

I noticed that the opening track & lead single “Move Any Mountain” was not on the original UK release, which is great IMO because it sounds like Stereo MCs and I’m not a fan of thin, indie type vocals trying to sound high-energy over-top of dance music. I prefer the tracks with vocal effects vs singing. It adds cred that up and coming DJ producers of the era (Oakenfold, Orbital, 808 State) remixed a number of them. The series that starts with “Hyperreal Orbit” is good. The synths set the mood and I like the effects (though they’re dated now). I was going to give it a 4 but the last track was a re-rub of the first….

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Wed Aug 11 2021
3

I'm travelling so I didn't  have a lot of time to spend listening to this. Move Any Mountain  is full  of energy and fun beats so grabs your attention at the start. Hyperreal Orbit is a better song imo  better but surprisingly has over 90% fewer listens on Spotify. Ditto Lightspan.  Generally speaking, I prefer music with lyrics but the lyrics on Human NRG and Omega Amigo don't add much so I would rather they left them aside. I like the vocals on Possible Worlds but, having said that, I'm not 100% sure they are vocals as opposed to synths. Regardless, I like that track too.  This was an interesting listen. I like more trucks than I dislike for sure but still not sure.

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Wed Aug 25 2021
3

80's new wave, but i don't remember it, and the first 2 songs weren't interesting

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Thu Aug 26 2021
3

i've tried so hard to like these guys. they have one track that's an absolute standout for me (destination eschaton - all-time favorite, no question), but no matter where i look, i only find that track is just unlike most of their work. this album was fine, don't get me wrong - and a huge statement for 1990, for sure - but it really wasn't what i love about them.

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Thu Nov 11 2021
3

Full of recognisable hits, this was a major transition for the Shamen from a previous incarnation as yet another goth psych band into a fully fledged rave dance act. The album sounds a little dated now, and production, while good, lacks the punch of later dance releases. Possibly also down to the relentless chase to overcompress and maximise the volume that has been a common feature of electronic dance music for the last 20 years. Top tracks: Move Any Mountain, Omega Amigo, Hyperreal Orbit

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Sun Nov 14 2021
3

Bit dafter than the orb, better than I thought it might be

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Sun Nov 28 2021
3

Move any mountain is a tune, the rest were ok but not great

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Thu Dec 16 2021
3

This has a very 1990 sound... some 80s, some 90s, some elements of music not yet to come. I thought it was fine, but not too enjoyable.

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Thu Dec 16 2021
3

It was alright but really just made we want to listen to Daft Punk.

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Thu Dec 23 2021
3

Música electrónica. Ni fu ni fa.

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Sun Jan 09 2022
3

Not terrible but pretty generic.

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Fri Jan 14 2022
3

Upbeat house/dance music. Not my normal type of thing, but not bad. Vocals perhaps a little lacking.

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