- "Absolutely guaranteed not to appeal to moody techno fucks," is the standout line from the press release for Optimo Music's latest two-tracker. But it's difficult to imagine anyone resisting the joyous disco charms of Must Be The Music's title track. Noo is Christoph "Daze" Dasen, AKA Plastique De Reve, and Sami Liuski, AKA Bangkok Impact/Putsch '79. This is their second release on the Glasgow label, and like last summer's self-titled debut EP it uses top-drawer sampling and production skills to produce something that feels like modern disco rather than nu-disco.
The title track is the big news here, its charisma immediately evident in its warm glimmer of keys and background chatter. It's an irresistible ten-minute ride starring a female disco vocal ("I don't know how much of this I can take/ Now my body is beginning to ache/ My resistance is beginning to fade/ Must be the music"), and a dramatic cascade of classic disco flourishes. There's also a killer mid-track breakdown that breathes yet more life into its final few minutes. With the "disco" box ticked, Dasen and Liuski head in a different direction on "Heaven's Gate," linking up a spoken vocal about evacuating planet earth with spacey pads, keys and atmospheric touches. This slow-mo cosmic house number can't help but be overshadowed by the A-side, but in this case there's no shame in that.
TracklistA1 Must Be The Music
A2 Heaven's Gate