Mainland Europe 1985, a parallel universe where the only way to hear new music is to jam your ear to a radio locked into the local state-run station.
A world in which blue-eyed soul, funky rock and experimental RnB rules the airwaves and Hall & Oates are bigger than U2.
It sounds pretty appealing doesn’t it? Well, this is the world of French producer Breakbot. Alongside his Gallic contemporaries Chromeo and Cassius, Breakbot’s sound mines the rich vein of eighties pop, dismissed by many so-called ‘sophisticated’ music fans.
Opener ‘Break Of Dawn’ sets the scene with a grandiose orchestral intro underpinned by thumping slap bass. From there it’s all twinkling keys and fuzzy synth sounds before ‘Fantasy’, ‘You Should Know‘ and ‘Why’ show up and unnecessarily exhume the remains of Michael Jackson.
If there was one major flaw in this record it is the almost total aping of Jackson’s style by US vocalist Ruckazoid, not a totally unpleasant experience, but as the adage goes – if it ain’t broke…
Elsewhere it’s an instrumental sleazy summer soundtrack vibe, and better for it. The pick of the bunch is probably ‘Easy Fraction’ with its hip swinging drum pattern and oh so funky horns.
A solid enough debut, but one so loaded with pastiche it manages to leave a slightly sickly aftertaste.
Enjoy this one in the sun while you can, but don’t expect By Your Side to still be by your side when the night time comes.
