Disco Dance6, 1989 XYMOX – Twist Of Shadows By DJ Murderhouse

XYMOX: “Twist of Shadows” div. BPM (LP/CD Wing Records, Polydor)

(Clan of) Xymox is an Amsterdam-based band that’s been around for a while and is more well-known abroad than in their home country. They’ve released two albums on the UK label 4AD, and this LP is only available in the Netherlands due to their contract with Polygram in the U.S. In the U.S., their track “Obsession,” in its extended 12-inch mix, is doing well on the Billboard Dance charts. The LP version is shorter but still very danceable (129 BPM). Xymox is a synth-driven band with extended melodic synthesizer lines and atmospheric vocals. They don’t use samples or scratching techniques. Their songs are beautiful and often melancholic, yet there’s plenty of danceable material on the album/CD, such as “Craving” (113 BPM), “In A City” (113 BPM), and the slightly New Order-esque “A Million Things” (112 BPM), which I predict could be their next single.