Layo & Bushwacka! left the End and decamped to Brooklyn for this, their third and most complete album. The dance world is always striving to bridge the gap between dancefloor and living room, with few managing the task, but here Layo & Bushwacka! might have just about cracked it.
Starting with feet firmly on the dancefloor, opener Life2Live is an electropopping belter, the Plastic Dream-like beat driving the perfectly produced funk ever forward while the typically brilliant Green Velvet adds his sinister childcatcher magic over the top. All at once we’ve got creepy, funky and dirty electronics (crunktronica anyone?No? Ok then…) at work here, with Bushwacka’s ever crisp production making it as refreshing as a bottle of Lucozade Sport.
“Feels closer” shows that they’re still firmly entrenched in the tech house sound pioneered at The End, but unfortunately that means it’s also a bit subdued and a wee bit dull after a while. It’s Slam-esque bass squidge isn’t able to lift the track into anything more than pedestrian, definitely an early night warmer upperer.
The album gradually creeps away from the club and sneaks home, morphing into a late night wind down over it’s course (and a little too loungey in parts for this reviewer’s taste), whislt still dipping it’s toes into the paddling pool of house every now and then. The production here, while excellent, is a little too ultra-clean like a recently Miltoned kitchen top, technically brilliant, but for me a bit too polished and far too fond of those saxes and muted trumpets that peppered the 80s, early 90s and late night Channel 5 far too liberally.
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Their popularity in Brazil and the amount of time the boys have spent over In Latin America over the past few years shows heavily, samba percussion and guitar feature strongly and give a bit of hope for the summer with guests providing latin vocal charm.
“Feels Closer” is a strange mix of Nightmares on Wax and Midnight Caller, a good after club recovery record which I presume is intentional and is executed well. It’ll work for you if you like your tunes a bit smoky, a little bit acid jazz and a bit lounge when you get home and you still secretly harbour a little bit of hope that we’ll have a summer this year. I do…
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