Looking back to look forward
Three albums of accessible electronic music deeply indebted to the past
Das Beat - Frau Fatal
Arbutus Records
Meeting via Tinder, circa Covid, Eddie Rabenberger and Alexander Cowan used their pandemic time to develop their personal relationship... and make music. With Cowan's pedigree already established through his work as half of Blue Hawaii, it was down to actor Rabenberger to find her voice, experimenting with vocal delivery ranging from screaming to singing to spoken word. Their well-received debut EP Identität quickly followed in 2021 and set a blueprint for subsequent releases (think Ladytron, Crystal Castles, Peaches and Felix da Housecat). A few singles later and their debut album Frau Fatal arrives perfectly formed, fast-tracking to a confident and competent Pop duo. Rabenberger's vocals are outstanding, making all thirteen tracks irresistibly addictive. The music, built on Cowan's fine technical prowess, is punky, pacey, catchy and racy. And most important of all: tuneful (even if one or two sound a little like Bis). The highlight for me is Endstation Liebe, although the cover version of the Velvet's Femme Fatale is memorable, with the ghost of Nico echoing through time.
Amine Laje - Datsha
Rotary Phono Lab
This is music made for a fine-dining French restaurant called Datsha. The man behind the work is Romain Poncet, aka Traumer, better known for various shades of House music. And like Frau Fatal, the concept was nurtured on pandemic freedoms and dedicated studio time. Producing over 50 tracks (~5 hours of music to be played during service time) in ten weeks, an eleven track album of the most tasteful Jazz-infused Trip-Hop emerged. Shaped by a specific brand of 90s electronic music (think DJ Cam, Funki Porcini, Nightmares on Wax, DJ Food and Quantic) it proves a highly satisfying listen. Jammed with big beats of every shape and size, funky basslines, swooning strings and guitar, it's got a good time, party time vibe that would suit social eating. Very cool music.
Ela Minus - DÍA
Domino Recording Co
On her second album Gabriela Jimeno Caldas, aka Ela Minus, has really blossomed. It's a real step up from her 2020 debut Acts of Rebellion, with much stronger vocals and very tuneful songwriting. Changes like this usually happen for a reason, and my theory is she's been immersing herself in formative music. Specifically I'm thinking The Knife, Digitalism, Röyksopp and Bjork. The Berklee College of Music grad also had a rad confab with DJ Python in 2022, which produced the ♡ EP, but DÍA carries a considered and composed aura, even if the beats are thumping and the melodies stadium-sized. At a compact 33 minutes the ten tracks rattle along an elevated arc, with a suitably reduced energy on the opening and closing tracks. At first the extremely catchy Broken was my highlight but they've all blurred into excellence now.