Review Summary: A collection of four fruity and delicious disco edits.
Dance! Dance, Dance, Dance!
Those familiar with the rich history of house music know that disco is in its very DNA. While some styles of house reflect this more than others (and some more genuinely than others), there is an eternal connection between the two musical movements. This connection is captured in a unique, paradoxical way by what is referred to as “disco-house,” “filter-house,” or often just “disco edits.” Daft Punk found massive commercial success in the early 2000s with their own take and expansion on some of the ideas behind this method of creating music, and on Fruit Loops, Nick Holder serves up a classic example of the style in its purest form.
Love is the message! Love is the message!
Released in 1995 on Toronto-based label Definitive Recordings, Fruit Loops contains four tracks of uplifting, chopped and grooved funk 'n disco ranging from Chic to Roy Ayers. Drum breaks, keyboard melodies, and string swells are plucked from their place of origin and re-arranged, ever so slightly, to achieve a product that is both an homage and a new song with its own attitude and utility. Nick Holder approaches this with a timeless, minimal perspective revolving around Chicago's influence on dance music. While at first glance these tracks may seem to be overly simple or tacky, a closer listen reveals a fun-loving, deep vibe permeating every off-kilter hi-hat, every woozy chord, and every filtered vocal.
Some may prefer the more fleshed out and atmospheric stylings of Pal Joey, or the more bombastic and colorful reflections of Todd Terje, but Nick Holder's quaint, whimsical disco skeletons on Fruit Loops are sure to please. Perfect for solo living room dance parties!
Octo's favorite: Dance, Dance, Dance