Róisín Murphy has been dropping eccentric dance music for over two decades, both as part of the duo Moloko and as a solo artist.
With a 2015 Mercury Music Prize nomination and unending critical praise, it seems strange she has always floated alongside the mainstream, rather than diving in head-first. But Murphy has never paid much attention to the charts. With Róisín Machine, she has merged singles released over a decade with brand new tracks into an iridescent, funky and entirely unique disco album.
Hazy opener Simulation is the first of many collaborations with DJ Parrott, with whom Murphy has worked since the Nineties. Murphy’s Law and Narcissus showcase the duo at their best — joyful tracks that leave us yearning for the dance floor. The lyrics are Murphy’s most autobiographical yet.
“I live my life with no regret / And if it all goes up in flames / I will only ever have myself to blame,” she sings on Something More. It’s indicative of her attitude: “The album is called Róisín Machine because I am a machine. I never stop.”
