The Secret Handshake

Summer Of ’98 EP

[3.5/5] Typically, male solo artists clutch guitars like security blankets, lamenting about some sketchy dame. But one-man act the Secret Handshake (aka Luis Dubuc) is flipping the script, opting for danceable hip-hop hooks with copious piano flourishes that ooze with electronica likeability. His debut EP remixes three original songs including the title track, a synth-induced mash-up with tweaked-out blips, buzzes and cavorting beats. Ronnie Darko’s (of Spank Rock) adaptation reduces the vocals laced throughout to pulsating tones and signals. Old-school hip-hop throwback “Too Young” will have you breaking out the cardboard and doin’ the pop-and-lock, yet the Dillinger Escape Plan’s remix turns the track to a more menacing, almost industrial commotion, while Toxic Avenger’s remix of symbols and high-pitch electronic chords creates a club anthem on the same song. Straight out of a video game and echoing Hellogoodbye hopped up on Fun Dip, TSH is one solo artist who doesn’t bitch or appear to use meds to solve his love woes. (TRIPLE CROWN/EAST WEST) Jennifer Sica