Search - X-Press 2 :: Muzikizum

Music for nightclubbing

jacques g | Kona, HI USA | 07/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"X-Press 2's full-length CD is an homage to the dancefloor period. It is music meant for the enjoyment of nightclubbers as they party through the night, moving from one dancefloor to the next, and one club to another. The collection starts with the title track, "Muzikizum", a recent Ibiza favorite, and a delicious tribal-house affair with bursts of classic Detroit-style synths all over! "Supasong" is a tribute to classic techno-pop of the early 80's. Then comes the standout and first vocal track of the collection: "Lazy" which recently topped the Billboard dance chart, featuring the unmistakably unique David Byrne (only two other male rockers have this velvety, curvoisier-smooth quality: Bryan Ferry in the 70s and Elvis Presley in the 60s). And talk about the perfect vocal for a house track entitled "Lazy" (Mr Byrne's "lazy" drawl is reminiscent of Amanda Lear's interpretation of "From Here To Eternity)! And the hits keep on rolling: "Smoke Machine", a reference to, what else, the smoke machines in clubs, was an anthem to the euphoria of all-night raves with its gushing sound effects (similar to Tim Deluxe's "Anthem"). If "Supasong" was a tribute to Krafwerk, then "I Want You Back" is a tribute to Yello complete with Dieter Meier on vocals. The final vocal gem of the collection, "Call That Love," is a tribute to Blaze, complete with nu-soul inflections over a jazzy disco-house track and a fierce vocal by Steve Edwards. X-Press 2 have shown that they are fine dance music producers: matching the perfect vocal with the perfect track, and always keeping all ears on the dancefloor."

Great Debut...

Rafael Cova | Caracas, Venezuela | 10/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Muzikizum delivers a small but perfectly formed 10 tracks, including three club smashes with a guaranteed fourth on the way. It's a coherent collection of thumping drums, cool collaborations and soul-stirring keyboard work.
Opening with the heavenly house of the still essential, palindromic title imperiously on its way with a future `Danny Tenaglia' end of nighter called `Supasong' mood music in the true sense of the word, before the ubiquitous, David Byrne-sung `Lazy' yawns as wide as Rocky's waistband. `Lazy' is a classic radio-friendly, pop crossover record.
As well as Byrne's art-funk yelps, X-Press 2 also employ the weathered croon of Yello's Dieter Meier, best known before now for the oft-sampled `Bostich' and for repeatedly going "Chicken Tikka!" on `The Race'.
Equally impressive is presence vocalist Steve Edwards, whose Byron Stingily-style warble makes `Call That Love' an obvious future single, and an introduction to the sound of classic house for a generation weaned on progressive.
Also board is the apocalyptic boom and clatter of `Smoke Machine', which concentrates a decade spent traipsing around sweatboxes with disco-dirty sneakers at five in the morning into a sonic mugging. If you can resist the bass surge that signals the end of track's intro, maybe dance music isn't for you after all...
Expressive, explosive, and occasionally experimental (but not too much) `Muzikizum' is the kind of album house heads have been screaming out for. We all know from hearing the singles out that it works in the clubs, but this isn't just music that `sound great on a big system'."