Happy to report that longtime SK favorite and fellow Brooklyn resident Eliot Lipp has a new album slated for release on March 4th on Mush records, home of Bibio, Lymbyc Systym, Caural, et al. His last LP, Tacoma Mockingbird was one of last year’s gems, a brilliant collection of melody-drenched, hip-hop- and techno-informed electro-funk that set the bar high for a production career with loads of promise. Thus, expectations were high for his follow-up The Outside and after a few listens it’s pretty clear that dude is at the top of his game right now. A lot has been written about Lipp’s many stops around this big country of ours, with journalists (including myself) making the lazy connection between his past locales (Detroit, Pacific NW, LA) and the respective influence of those local scenes on his development as an artist. Truth is, I’m excited as hell that he’s in Brooklyn, a spot in dire need of good home-grown electronic music and curious to see how this move effects his sound. When I listen to The Outside it reminds me so much of a definitive UK sound, particularly with regard to the clear influence of so many types of music, much of it American in origin like Techno and Hip-Hop. It’s intelligent without being overbearing and eschews the stylistic rigidity of so much other, less successful electronic music. Yes, this shit clearly makes me wordy (I’m listening as I type this) but this being early 2008 and all, it’s important to get excited now. Because in the 11 months to follow, I guarantee you will be saturated by the overhyped and undeserving. Add this to your running “Best Of” list right now. - Scissorkick