Luomo’s never been afraid to unleash pop hooks; hell, the hook is what led me to spin “Synkro” three times in a row when Vocalcity was new — but these latest tracks may be Ripatti’s most overt nods to popular music.
[Juno Release page] First, a confession: I’ve been a fan of Sasu Ripatti’s work under his various guises for a long time. From Multila on Berlin’s hallowed Chain Reaction label, to his Huume releases as Uusitalo, to classics like “Tessio,” I’m always excited to hear what wizardry he’s concocted next. So it was with excitement and a fairly lofty set of expectations that I sat down with his latest full-length as Luomo, Plus, released in September 2011 on Berlin’s Moodmusic label.
The album leads off with “Twist,” where a classic Detroit techno line builds oh-so-gently to a muted 4/4 thump and the nearly whispered refrain: “I must / I must do the twist.” I found myself compelled to groove too, although in a manner Chubby Checker would not be likely to recognize. “Good Stuff,” the first 12″ off the album, backs deep layers of reverb-drenched melody and distinctly Euro vocal stylings with dense off-kilter percussion. Next up is “How You Look” and I’m reminded of an interview with Ripatti, upon the release of The Present Lover, where he described Luomo’s sound as straight-up vocal house on the surface, but with “hidden treats” for close listeners. As “How You Look” develops, these treats — bleeps and bloops, crazy electro-tom accents, and slapback dub echoes that would fit under his Vladislav Delay moniker — threaten to subsume the groove, which nonetheless emerges out the far side intact.
By contrast, “Make My Day” never loses sight of the dancefloor, and “Happy Strong” brings a funky garage beat out for a romp over a driving electro bass-line. Individually, any one of these tracks would be a stormer in a club set, but at high volume in the living room it’s quite a lot to take, so I was grateful that “Medley Through” slows down the tempo and provides a lovely interlude with soft ambient pads, a sexy vocal exhorting us to “get … together” and an old-school techno percussion line reminiscent of Model 500 — and I mean that as a highest compliment! The square synth throb, plucked harp line and earnest, plaintive lyrical turn on “Form and Void” take us from Detroit to London, milking a mid-80’s vibe to great effect; as it ends, “Immaculate Motive” stretches this farther into synthpop territory. “Spy,” the album’s closer, is Chicago house with a twist, playing a bouncy midtempo beat against traditional clubland singing.
Luomo’s never been afraid to unleash pop hooks; hell, the hook is what led me to spin “Synkro” three times in a row when Vocalcity was new — but these latest tracks may be Ripatti’s most overt nods to popular music. It’d indeed be a strange and wonderful Top 40 list that included such heartfelt, exquisitely crafted gems as “Good Stuff” and “Form and Void” though, instead of the formulaic auto-tuned pablum that gets extruded into today’s chart-toppers though. One can only listen, dance, and hope.
Plus is out now on Moodmusic. [Juno Release page]
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