(Electropop, Italo-Disco, Nu-Disco, Hi-NRG) Baron Von Luxxury - The Last Seduction - 2012, MP3 (tracks), 320 kbps

Having previously remixed tracks for artists as diverse as Hilary Duff, CSS, and Marianne Faithfull, Los Angeles producer/DJ Blake Robin, aka Baron Von Luxxury's mission statement of a debut album, The Last Seduction, shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Attempting to "straddle the fine line dividing what is cool from what is deeply embarrassing," it's a record which unashamedly harks back to the dancefloors of the early '80s, whether it's the slightly gothic, Depeche Mode-esque electro of the Citizen Kane-spoiler "Rosebud Was the Name of His Sled," the falsetto-led funk of "Terry Richardson," or the melodramatic synth pop of "Women of a Certain Age." While there's a definite knowing wink throughout, largely thanks to Baron's play-it-straight vocals which recall Phil Oakey at their most deadpan, there's a bit more substance than the heavily vocodered techno-lite "Glass Candy" and the Eurovision-style campiness of Little Boots co-write "That Disco Beat" would suggest. None more so than on "Alice Underground" and "The Lovely Theresa," two deceivingly dark slices of Moroder-ish disco inspired by the suicides of two close friends, while a clever reworking of Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Y Control" transforms the scuzzy garage rock original into something more suited to their recent glittery change in direction. There's little here that the likes of early Heaven 17/Human League or any of the recent nu-synth brigade haven't done before, but it's an enjoyable, if repetitive, party record which is in keeping with his slightly absurd persona.