Junkie XL

Music From SSX Blur

[2.5/5] With the popular SSX series graduating to the next-gen Nintendo Wii, slapping together a rad ’80s soundtrack a la Grand Theft Auto is sooo old platform. So with a wave of the wand, SSX Blur slices through the slopes with pulsing tunes from Junkie XL, who stacks the deck with Big Beat flashbacks miles away from 8-bit chirping. "Dark Territory" is a ripe chunk of Fatboy Slim party starting, and the slippery "Fly Zone" sounds like a lost Chemical Brothers B-side. But as the uplifting build and release of “Lone Park" teases, would it have been so bad to hear more of what makes Junkie XL special, rather than subsuming his identity into the digital snowflakes? Music From SSX Blur is upbeat, frozen fun, but there’s not much substance left when the snow melts away. (NETTWERK) Erick Haight