Review Summary: Glossy Random Access Memories For The Dance Floor
When I first heard "Love Sublime," the single German producer and DJ, Tensnake released off his debut album "Glow" I thought, wow, this is the perfection of Nu-Disco. And after about 50 more listens, it became even more acute that this track is perfect, a dance floor rocker in 1975 at Studio 54 or Output in 2014.
Marco Niemerski, known as the DJ Tensnake, worked extensively with guitarist Nile Rodgers on "Glow" and it shows. The album is supremely well produced from start to finish. While "Love Sublime," will most definitely be the stand out track to most, Glow continues a steamroll pace through dance music in different decades ala Daft Punk. These are the Random Access Memories for the dance floor.
The album opens with "First Song" an Rnb mix of old and new, even playfully masking a Stylistics hook (E.g. you are everything). This is then followed by "Love Sublime." The beat is reminiscent of the Nile Rodgers track, "Good Times."
"Pressure" and "Feel of Love" keep the Nu-Disco feel going with catchy vocals, synth, and reverb. Both are dance floor essentials. McFadden & Whitehead would be proud. These two tracks are followed by "No Colour" which is the sort of electro pop that Daft Punk popularized in the late 90s. It could have easily been a stand out track on "Discovery."
"Ten Minutes" is a smooth "R &B" interlude to "Kill The Time" another "R&B" driven track. These two tracks are followed by "Selfish" which is an 80s synth homage. Then, Niemerski drops a Steve Rubell dance floor killer on "Good Enough to Keep," unmistakably a Nile Rodgers track.
"Holla" is an electro RnB tune that is exceedingly well produced with sexy vocals and synth. Finally, we are brought back to the present day in "See Right Through" a deep house track and "58 BPM" a glossy RnB build up. 58 BPM almost certainly could be played in any hipsters bedroom to set the mood.
Three years before Glow, Niermerski had an album prepared that he lost, due to his hard drive crashing. While he may not have been smart enough to invest in a back up hard drive, he was certainly talented enough to bring a killer dance album to the masses three years later.
A must listen for anyone who looks back fondly on 70s and 80s dance floor memories and is ready to create new ones.
