Yes, that was Tattoo from Fantasy Island in Greenskeepers‘ video for “Filipino Phil,” a guitar-laden track about a midget who likes to party. But for fans who have been waiting for Greenskeepers‘ second full-length, the group‘s ability to laugh at themselves is no surprise. Just take the already-popular “Lotion” on this album, told from the point of view of Silence of the Lambs‘ Buffalo Bill (and including the so creepy line “it rubs the lotion on its skin…”). Um, okay. In between the comedic turns though, the album includes electronic-leaning rock(ish) and welcoming Chicago-inflected house, a mix of funk, bass, synths, and groove.
Giorgio From Here to Eternity
Giorgio Moroder would never say he invented electronic sequencing, but Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream weren‘t nearly as interested in testing it out in the dance clubs, and they didn‘t make four to the floor a way of life. His “I Feel Love” sequence (dunga, dunga, dunga, dunga) for Donna Summer was patent-worthy, and “The Chase” has been the centerpiece of countless sets, but From Here To Eternity (also Casablanca, 1977) was Giorgio‘s record. The father of Eurodisco, hi-energy, and Italo designed this album not only for the floor or the mattress, but for your headphones and your car. From the vocoders to the completely electronic percussion, this record is the original Dirty Vegas commercial over two decades ahead of its time.
Various Artists Electro-Domestico: Mextronica
The Mexican electronic scene is really starting to grow into its own; but even though you can find out plenty about the Nortec Collective, Google names like Los Maestros Del Jet Set or Aquadelfin and you‘d better know how to read Spanish. Luckily, as most of their songs are instrumentals, culture needs no words. This disc gives you an aperitivo taste of the scene, ranging from the operatic Decada 2 (an act that borrows more from Klaus Nomi and Italo electro than Tijuana brass) to Ford Proco (almost as graceful as Pepito) to Jackson (who kicks it like Squarepusher).
Shannon Let The Music Play
It was Christmas/Hanukkah time of 1983 when my pops surprised me with an all-in-one unit by SoundDesign. A fifth grader with a new stereo, the first thing I did was tune in to NYC‘s Z-100, which was starting to break a new sound called electro. Shannon‘s “Let The Music Play” announced a new kind of diva for a new kind of disco, and while she was seducing us strangers with “this beat he can‘t ignore,” she was achieving Afrika Bambaataa‘s “perfect beat.” Not surprising, then, when she wanted to revive her career in a new era she went with Bam on “Do The Wrong Thing.” They‘re both on this “Best Of,” including another club classic, “Give Me Tonight.”
Mysterymen Everything But An Answer
It‘s not every day that you hear a group that entrusts their vocals to an Atari computer. This northern UK coalition shapes their tracks from robotic vocals and dubby techno, bathed in the retro sound of analog synthesizers. It might be hard to tell whether you‘re listening to electroclash (old news) or pre-Erasure synth rock (still cool), but it‘s fun all the same. The first cut, “Don‘t Look Back,” is the best, a vocodered take on an acapella track with an uplifting melody and hopeful yet meaningless lyrics that scream vintage ‘80s.
Opio Triangulation Station
Those seeking witty, melodic hip-hop in the new millennium need not worry: Opio swerves sharply into contemplative lyrics and gripping melodies startling enough to shake aficionados awake. This MC/producer has long repped the Oakland hip-hop intelligentsia via the Souls of Mischief, and it‘s hard not to sense Opio‘s deep affection for his genre‘s roots throughout this old-school-styled record. Standouts include the slammin‘ Jurassic 5-like cut “Confederate Burning,” and “Talk Dirty,” which floats hustler lyrics over airy, jazzy grooves.
Tipper Surrounded
Not one to let a pesky thing like hearing damage get in his way, nu-school breaks producer and Fuel Records co-founder Tipper bounced back with a zeal for sonic experimentation. Surrounded marks his fourth full-length project and the latest installment in a career that has increasingly stepped further away from the abrasive d&b breaks and the (literally) smoking, mega-decibel soundsystems that he once helped pioneer. Tracks like “No Dice” delve smoothly into moody beats and spare instrumentals, providing the perfect background for a swank bar rather than a frenzied rave-more in line with where Tipper‘s original fans are probably chilling today.
Various Artists Deep Space NYC Vol. 1
Turn up the bass and enjoy the ride-25-year DJ veteran François K is behind the wheel and the destination is the land of dub. Along the way we‘ll visit Jamaica for tastes of the origins from The Skatalites, the UK for the other end of the BPM spectrum (with drum & bass‘s Matrix and Fierce), and even Detroit for Jeff Mills and Carl Craig‘s vision of the future. FK has been refining our itinerary for over two years at his Monday night Deep Space party in NYC and now we can all enjoy his skills as a selector. Fasten your seat belts.
Garnet Silk Music is the Rod
It wouldn‘t be a stretch to call Garnet Silk the reggae Jeff Buckley. Like the New York City avant-rock heartthrob, Silk possessed an indescribably beautiful and emotive voice and died a bizarre, tragic death at a young age, just as he appeared to be reaching a creative plateau. Beginning with the haunting, minimal “Splashing Dashing,” VP‘s two-disc set accumulates a large chunk of Silk‘s recognizable output, culminating in a brief interview done just a few months before his death. The past year has seen a return to form for conscious dancehall singers, making it just the right time for a retrospective of an increasingly forgotten one-one who helped usher in the last revival more than a decade ago.
Boom Bip Blue Eyed in the Red Room
Although he comes to the electronic music production game from the hip-hop DJ world, the second LP from Cincinnati‘s Brian Hollon has more “bip” than “boom” going on. Layered with organic instrumentation, his glitchy instrumentals are at various times evocative of Prefuse 73, Four Tet, and Chicago post-rock. But what‘s distinctive about Blue Eyed In The Red Room is just how unexpectedly accessible it sounds; each track appears somewhat conducive to mass consumption. “The Move” almost sounds like Robert Smith should be singing over it; Super Furry Animals vocalist Gruff Rhys stops by on “Dos and Don‘ts” to help create some multi-layered Brian Wilson-esque harmonies. Blue Eyed‘s unexpected moments are its best ones.
