Various Artists - The Boogie
Written by Chi Chi Thalken on January 19, 2011If you are like me, you were turned on to Tokyo Dawn Records last year with their release of Opolopo’s Voltage Controlled Feelings. It was a fantastic and fun record full of retro electro-boogie. Where you do you go from there as a listener? Fortunately for us, Tokyo Dawn presented us with The Boogie.
Clocking in at just under seventy-four minutes and eighteen tracks, The Boogie is packed full of music to broaden your horizons. A good portion of the music is previewing releases that will come out later this year, from artists such as Amalia, Blaktroniks, Replife, Soulparlor, and Vindahl. This might seem like a lot to digest, and it is, but it’s worth it. Everything is connected by a sonic sensibility, but each track is unique in its flavor. It really speaks well for Marc Wallowy, who assembled the collection.
We get a wide range of material, recalling the early ‘80s but also mixing in some early ‘90s R&B and some G-Funk as well. Yet it all sounds contemporary at the same time. The album opens with Opolopo & Amalia bringing some high energy and some killer grooves. John Robinson lays down some smooth rhymes over some G-Funk provided by Spinnerty and remixed by B. Bravo that has swagger to spare. Stray turns down the lights with a sexy slow jam. Aybee and Soulparlor bring more of a house influence to the collection. Blaktroniks provides one of the strongest tracks on the record with a song that has a great off-kilter keyboard riff over a shuffle that creates some tension but also pushes forward as he spells out a possible confrontation. I can’t wait for the full-length. B. Bravo also provides one of the strongest instrumental tracks, a slow jam that shows a great sense of melody and well thought out song structure. “Mothership” introduces me to appreciate Portformat by putting Declaime and Georgia Anne Muldrow on a song that is then remixed by Opolopo. If that’s not a formula for a funky good time, then I don’t know what we’re doing here. “I’m a R.O.B.O.T.,” a song by Swede:art and remixed by TOKiMONSTA once again has me anticipating a Blaktroniks album. Addiquit provides a great dance number with what is essentially a disco track that has a great groove. Eagle Nebula brings everything home with a song that reminds me of Georgia Anne Muldrow, a meditation on what brings value to life over warm mid-tempo track.
With all that I covered here, there’s still more I didn’t get to. There’s a lot to digest, and there’s tons to like. If this is what the future holds for Tokyo Dawn in 2011, it’s going to be a good year.
Title: | Various Artists - The Boogie |
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Label: | Tokyo Dawn |
Year: | 2011 |
Rating: | 8/10 |