Review Summary: If you like dancing, prancing and romancing, you’ll love Movements
One suspects that when Booka Shade named their latest album, they were thinking more about the physical bouncing that goes on in clubs than any sort of pretentious song structures. If this is the case, then the title is spot on. Every song here is designed specifically to make you move, whether it involves simply nodding your head to the beat in your bedroom or completely losing yourself in the sonorous emanations of colossal speakers in some shadowy, smoke filled club.
Body Language and
Mandarin Girl are exactly what dance music should be; nothing more, nothing less.
Realizing that a good dance song requires a consistent and concrete beat, Booka Shade anchor each track with a solid bassline and upbeat drums before adding the coup de grace synths or vocal samples that turn this from a solid dance album to a really ***ing good dance album. The sounds used range from the obvious keys and buzzing bass to subtle murmurs of birdsong and whispering voices. Whilst these sounds are often dichotomous, it’s always for the greater good; not once does the music sound forced or disjointed. In fact, the cohesive flow from song to song that arises from mixing in unusual sounds is what makes
Movements so good; the temporary respite given by a field full of chirping crickets is the perfect breather before the stomping drums kick in again.
Booka Shade have always been good at what they do, whether it involves ghost producing for M.A.N.D.Y, remixing The Knife or simply producing banging house anthems. On
Movements they prove without a doubt that if you’re overweight and in need of exercise, depressed, or just really feel like dancing, they’re the doctors to go see.
And if you’re really lucky, they might prescribe you some pills too.
