This album's actually credited to Max Essa presents Jan Ken Po… JKP being a new alias for the nu-disco stalwart as he changes tack ever so slightly. "More Berlin, less Monaco – that's the ethos," says the hype sheet. "Essa's touched a new base."And indeed, this album's a little more house-ified and consistently dancefloor-oriented than previous outings by this British producer based in Japan. But only a little. The beats may be a notch more driving, but the influence of Italo/cosmic disco still looms large and of course, Max's large collection of vintage analogue synths still has a crucial role to play. So while there are tracks here such as lo-slung dirty funker Palm Beach Boy Trees that you might be surprised have come out of Essa's studio, others, such as Metropolitan Scene or First Touch, are almost unmistakeable in their sheer Essa-ness.
As such, if Unlimited Man is meant to be a dramatic reinvention of Mr Essa's musical self, then I'm not sure it entirely works. But if you're a Max Essa fan – and I certainly am – then there's plenty to enjoy here.
Out: This week
About: This comes on Max's home, the mighty Nang Records
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