Review Summary: Shut up and Dance
So there I was, standing in B-018, holding my $10 vodka, gazing out through the open roof at the star studded Beirut sky, listening to the DJ spinning the sparsest minimal techno imaginable. And it was, quite frankly, unbelievably boring.
So I put techno out of my mind and dived wholeheartedly into the yawning abyss of dubstep, forgetting all about its more refined older cousin. It wasn’t until I accidently fell in love with the ubiquitous
Alcachofa through a chance encounter at Fabric that I decided to give the genre another chance. And *** me, am I glad that I did.
Simply put,
This Bliss is a complete and utter triumph, a one finger salute to those who would disparage minimal techno as dull and repetitive. Imagine
Diamond Daze taken to the next level, composed by a producer who understands exactly what this kind of music should sound like, and then proceeds to add his own unique twist. Minimal as a whole is characterised by its homogeny, but there isn’t a moment on here that you’d want to skip out of monotony. Pantha Du Prince knows full well that flow is everything in this genre, but has enough tricks up his sleeve to keep you guessing every second as to what could come next. Gorgeously shimmering synths merge with twinkling bells and throbbing bass, propelled all the while by heartbeats that pump temperate, effervescent lifeblood through the music. Its hard to pick any standout tracks, as there isn’t a bad song on here, but highlights include the quietly frantic clock like ticking of
Moonstruck as well as the colossal
White Out, where the bass thunders like a flood threatening to burst the track asunder.
It’s hard to think of think of other albums where the execution fulfils the concept quite so astoundingly.
Animals by Minilogue springs to mind, as does the aforementioned Villalobos masterpiece; Pantha’s sophomore effort ranks along these as the final member of an indispensible trinity.
One can state plainly, without any hyperbole;
This Bliss transcends genres. It’s a stunning, captivating album, and great music regardless of taste or conviction.
Do yourself a favour and acquire it; it’s nothing less than absolutely essential.
