Greater Than One
G-Force

October 1989

Cover Image

Greater Than One - G-Force

US LP/CD/CS Wax Trax! 7100
NL LP/CD Torso 149

  1. G-Force
  2. Ich Liebe Dich Mein Prinz
  3. Learn with Pleasure, Knowledge Is Power
  4. Black Magic
  5. Alpha 5
  6. The Man Who Lived In Books
  7. The Ballet of the 3 Feathered Sardines
  8. Why Do Men Have Nipples?

Lee Newman
Michael Wells

Dancefloor Surrealists - and that's just the half of it - GTO construct collages of multi-lingual samples and wacked-out noises to cover their technological tracks. G-Force is a cartwheeling combination of Steinski's nimble feet and The Young Gods' operatic gusto, all stitched together by St. Winifred's style choir chanting devil-worship slogans in the middle distance. "Ich Liebe Dich Mein Prinz" energizes ethnic wailing seemingly recorded through a snorkel, and "Black Magic" impales minimalist vocals onto a wiry violin while sevarel Daleks dance themselves dizzy in the studio. Fragments of MC 900 FT Jesus's harsh, dislocated chatter and Front 242's leather-clad New Beat throb abound, with tons of Acidic sparks and dadaist references tossed in for extra momentum. But the weirdest, simplest track here is "Why Do Men Have Nipples?," marrying snatches of American dating-game show dialogue with a toe-tapping tape-loop of numb percussion. - Stephen Dalton, NME

Greater Than One are yet another group who are popular in Europe. They fit loosely into the new genre of Front Line Assembly, Click Click, and the lesser purveyors of the new beat. But their redeeming quality is that they don't shout over their hybrid of techno sound sculpture. Here they toy with crisp snares, clean beats and the occasional acid bass line. They Sample amusing commentary from American TV shows, and steal one-liners from Peter Sellers. Occasionally, GTO suggest they would be capable of crafting huge soundscapes, alive with delicate textures of noise. On "Learn with Pleasure, Knowledge Is Power," speeding rhythms are mixed with layers of crystalline choral tones. And the simple, schizophrenic collecton of beats and breaks connected by vocal outbursts of "I am somebody," on "The Man Who Lived In Books," shows they are not obsessed by overindulgence. - Rob Deacon