FETISH
various artists / Doris Kloster (photography)
FGL Productions

Is this a CD with a free book? Or a book with a free CD? Well, the answer to both questions is 'yes', but if forced to choose, I'd probably go with the former... although it's the latter which is more worthy of attention.

Fetish is a French compilation CD featuring mostly instrumental tracks (a few have vocals used as instruments, but there are no 'songs' as such) by a variety of artists, none of who I've heard of. The music is a mixed bag, broadly speaking dance, and presumably is intended as the soundtrack to a night of fetish pleasure. Opener Sepuku Rhapsody by Banzai Spirit is very much the spirit of thing you'd expect to find on a Michael Ninn film for instance, while other tracks range from faceless trance (Tribal Mastress) to cheesy Euro disco (Sex Priest), sub-Orb ambience (Eleanor Gray) to discordant, David Lynch-inspired soundscapes (Lovin' Furs). Standout tracks are Saint Andre Cross Bless You by St Esmeralda Mission and Ultime Discipline by Etienne de Vuarney, both of which have a moody, throbbing and sinister insistence about them - ideal for sexual rituals.

There's nothing to actually show that these really are tracks by a variety of bands, rather than a single act using various names (and the fact that there are only three writers credited for all 18 tracks reinforces this theory), but as it goes, this isn't at all awful if used as background music. I can imagine that it might well work as the soundtrack to a dungeon scenario if music is your bag when cracking the whip.

And Certainly, this is worth picking up just for the package. The 30 page booklet features the fantastic work of Doris Kloster, taken from her various books. Those of you unfamiliar with her work can expect a feast of female domination, glorious fetish outfits, lets of leg and foot glorification and stunning women!

So, a nice package and one worth getting hold of I'd suggest. Quite where you can actually pick Fetish up from is anyone's guess - you can email FGL and ask 'em I suppose!

DAVID FLINT