Allein die diversen Verflechtungen von Burger/Ink, thorn hatten einen der jedes Käufer budget in die Luft jagte. Uhhh... hold on, this isn't the German Edition of Pitchfork. My mistake. Lost my head for a moment there. You really should check out that German Edition sometime, though. It's awesome. As a whole, it's a much more "continental" online rag, in that it shifts the primary focus from breasts to genitalia. Whoa, wait a minute, perhaps I've got the German Edition of Pitchfork confused with the German Edition of Playboy. My bad once again. I've been ingesting entirely too much Thera-flu. Sorry readers, there is no German edition of Pitchfork. Yet.

So anyway, in plain, boring old English, Burger/Ink is a European electronic outfit crafting minimal ambient techno in the Mouse On Mars vein. They've been doing their thing across the pond for a while, and now, courtesy of Matador Records, they're making a splash here in the States. The concessions that perpetually hip Matador has been making to the international electronic underground continue unabated-- first Cornelius, then Solex, now this. I guess they're trying to ease all those indie kids into this whole electronic thing and be one of the few labels to keep pace with these crazy times. This is admirable. And to top it off, Burger/Ink make quality music.

Las Vegas is mellow but still conscious, with a steady 80 bpm pulse well- suited for chill rooms. There are no potential dance tracks and no forays into completely beat-less sound. But while the music is mid-tempo, it's not middle- of- the- road, as the sounds spat from Burger and Ink's synths continually sustain interest. The record has nice textures and cool bleeps, grinds, splats, purrs, dings and sphhhts, all arranged perfectly and with restraint. Sure, this is cerebral stuff, but it's still not something you have to put away that magazine to enjoy. Go ahead-- read, fold some laundry, make a few phone calls. Burger/Ink won't intrude.

-Mark Richard-San