LIFE

Yeah. And. And stuff. I don't know what LCD's fabriclive sounds like yet, since me and my girlfriend decided we're gonna listen to it first time together. Aw, how romantic! Thanks. Yep. Anyway. So I got to listening to Booka Shade's DJ Kicks instead (since they're not The James Murphy). And this is sick. Beautiful music.

This mix puts Booka Shade, and I wasn't absolutely sure about it before, in the same producer scale as genius, out of the ordinary producers such as: Hot Chip, Carl Craig, Giorgio Moroder, James Murphy, Timbaland, among others. It redefines the phrase 'life-affirming', seriously, and superlatives won't really do any justice with it. To put it simply: I might not listen to it ever again soon, and it might last for the moment, but thank you kindly Booka Shade for taking these moments and making them eternal. No more eclectic bullshit, never before did Brigitte Bardot, John Carpenter, Yazoo, Booka Shade themselves, The Streets and Matthew Dear sounded so smoothly together. Not even in mixes by eclectic-demigods such as The Glimmers, Optimo, Prins Thomas and the alike. There, they sounded "eclectic", kinda forced, kinda gimmicky. They worked great, but this is a completely different story. Booka Shade's layers sound so harmonically peaceful together. It's all warm, un-German-like, but not Samim-esque self-aware-funkiness, and not in deeper-than-thou Henrik Schwarz mannerism (which I love). Clean, but not disgustingly-obsessively-clean. Warm, but not soulful-house warm. Smart, but doesn't make a fuss about it. Constantly interesting. Melodic in so many different aspects. Gentle and sweet, but doesn't make your teeth bleed. Technoish, but based on solid singer-songwriter grounds. And they even have their own song there, with fucking vocals!

The guys are masterminds. I don't know what Get Physical would have been without them. They laid such great outlines for the label, and created its bare essential sound. Great choice DJ Kicks. Great work, K7. You do know who to work with and how. The last DJ Kicks was also excellent, by Booka Shade collaborators Hot Chip. Any guesses for the next one?

I mean. Ok, I'd really like them to produce like a pop act. That would be awesome. And I'm not talking Will I Am's lame ripping, or Kanye's lame ripping of Daft Punk, but something of their own.

3 comments:

מיכל♥ג'וש said...

A M A Z I N G (LY CORRECT)

Anonymous said...

D/L'ing it now.
can't wait to hear it

Anonymous said...

we have an interview with booka shade posted on our site if you want to check it out: http://www.groundcontrolmag.com/detail/1/620/

these dudes are geniuses. they have so much fun while putting out some of the best jams of the decade.

hope you enjoy.

-mark