Not sure where this Michael Ozone guy came from. He played with Holy Balm at their Melbourne album launch, and judging by this snippet from a newly released 12 inch on ESP Institute, his sound would fit nicely with the recent (and dead?) Balearic house revival.

Look a bit deeper though, and something a bit weirder and maybe even sinister is happening here. If you look at his website and watch ‘The Ozone Shuffle’ (watch below)  you’ll see awkward public broadcast style “special effects” glazed in a chewed VHS patina. It’s the thematic dissonance that is the clincher though: instead of fax machines and beepers you have an iPod mini at the bottom of the screen, rotating dreamily (lustily?). Which suggests that maybe Michael Ozone shares something philosophically with James Ferraro post-Far Side Virtual but I don’t really want to speculate until I hear more.

According to Noise in My Head, Total Control have a 12 inch forthcoming on Ozone’s own label Home Loan Records.