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Even though A People Undone is the debut release from Moksha, a side-project from the brothers behind Fektion Fekler, Robert and John Bustamante, it's not exactly new. This material was recorded over a six-year period, between 1992 and '98, and started before Toronto, Ontario's ArtOfFact label even existed. More than enough time for it to simmer in its own juices and solidify into a strong debut.

Fektion fans shouldn't be left out in the cold with this release. In many ways it's a natural progression -- an extension and stylistic branching out from their previous body of work that explores a variety of new directions while maintaining a distinct whole. Robert's compositions are given a voice by John, Sean Whitehead and Ben Static, though a handful of instrumental tracks stand out and focus solely on the musical side to the project. The multi-layered "Rawhide" works really well as catchy, light-weight electro, while "Miss" and "I Can See" slow things down without breaking up the flow of the disc.

In the early days of Fektion Fekler they were sometimes confused as a Mentallo & The Fixer side-project, so Mentallo's production of this disc is quite fitting. They also contribute a remix of the track "Eggshell," where they mess around with effects and manipulations atop an undercoat of the song, spawning a new version true to the original. Just when you think you've got the sound of this release pegged "The Risk You Take" proves you wrong. A folky acoustic guitar and loose, playful vocals showcase an entirely different side to the band: Moksha unplugged. It's surprising how well this works juxtaposed between two electro tracks... it doesn't even sound out of step.

The brothers Fekler are currently working on their third release for Metropolis, who also picked up their back catalog in light of Pendragon's unfortunate disbanding. A selection of MP3 samples from A People Undone can be found at the ArtOfFact website.