PRAGA KHAN - TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SKIN

Praga Khan is one of the masterminds behind the adult electronic band, Lords Of Acid.  He's produced so many offshoot groups and bands using just as many pseudonyms it's almost impossible to keep track of how many songs this guy has actually written.

His real name is Maurice Engelen, but Praga Khan is the name he uses as band member and solo artist.  This record continues the use of that assumed name.  It also sharply demonstrates how a prolific songwriter can orchestrate their own downfall.

Through his collaborations on Lords Of Acid material, Khan developed an aggressive form of techno that has evolved over the years.  It's hardcore dance and usually concerns itself with subjects leaning more toward the 21 and older crowd.

However, the need to release music spawned an entire industry built up around side projects and solo releases.  Because so much material was finding its way to retail shelves, the band members and Khan seemed to lose the ability to judge strong material from average and weak material.

Part of his appeal as a songwriter initially was his ability to make each song sound so different from previous efforts.  His solo albums also work to achieve this, but none of them have succeeded to the same degree.

Khan is not a strong vocalist and he writes lyrics with English as a second language.  He falls into the same trap as most international artists who aren't writing in a native tongue.  Sometimes his lyrics are written to fit a rhyme scheme.  And more often than not, the most obvious rhyming choice is the one chosen.  So if you're looking for spiritual enlightenment chances are, you won't find it here.

The music, though interesting and strong, never moves beyond what you've come to expect from Khan and his cohorts.  There are some outstanding cuts on this disc.  Most of them were released as singles.  You also get a lot of tracks that are interesting and beat oriented that never really take off. 

Some of the standout numbers include: 'Breakfast In Vegas', 'Lonely', 'Supersonic Lovetoy', 'Bored Out Of My Mind' and a rehashed version of 'Begin To Move'.  Of this material, 'Lonely' seems to be the only track you could find a smidgen of Khan getting personal.  But even here, it sounds more ironic than real.

I'm not going to break this one down as I usually might.  Mostly because at the time I bought the disc, I was really into Lords Of Acid, and I never made the distinction between Praga Khan as a solo artist and his contributions to LOA.  Although I enjoy certain tracks, I never pull this one out and play it.  Khan is not an artist I could follow on a regular basis.  I could never buy everything he puts out because there's too much he's made generic in his sound.  He's too prolific.  

My final words:  JOIN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY AND DOWNLOAD INSTEAD OF BUYING.  SOMEONE'S POSTED IT ONLINE FOR FREE.

PRAGA KHAN - TWENTY FIRST CENTURY SKIN
01. Breakfast In Vegas
02. Visions & Imaginations
03. Isolation
04. Adult Entertainment
05. Far Beyond The Sun
06. Lonely
07. What's Wrong With Me
08. Supersonic Lovetoy
09. Lady Alcohol
10. Bored Out Of My Mind
11. Begin To Move
12. One Foot In The Grave