Perfect Machine

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Originally released in 1988, Perfect Machine was the third installment in Herbie Hancock's electronic trilogy that began with Future Shock and followed with Sound System. Of the three, Perfect Machine is the most minimal and groove heavy, thanks mainly to the presence of bassist Bootsy Collins (of James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic fame) and Ohio Players vocalist Sugarfoot. In fact, Perfect Machine, more so than its two predecessors, could be thought of as Hancock's stab at making an updated version of his 1970's Headhunters success. With early techno and industrial shadings coming mainly from Bill Laswell's Kraftwerk-influenced production, the album may sound surprisingly up to date to electronic music fans. With a scaled-down band (compared to Sound System) present on each track, "Perfect Machine" succeeds in creating minimalist funk grooves that integrate washes of sound from Hancock's banks of synthesizers for an effect that was enormously influential to scores of hip-hop and electronic-music producers at the time. With remastered sound and two bonus tracks (the remix of "Vibe Alive", which layers snippets of P-Funk's "Atomic Dog", is particularly tasty), Machine concludes with a rambling Laswell interview in the liner notes. Columbia Records should be commended for reissuing these albums but should be taken to task for the unimaginative packaging. --Ezra Gale

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