Put Your Hands Up For Detroit
Sep 29th, 2008 1:20 pm
This week sees the release of Environ label head Morgan Geist’s first solo outing (as himself at least) since 1997. As is to expected from one of the men behind Metro Area, and many other endeavours, it’s a slickly produced album, that explores that place where techno and disco meet head on. But even better, Junior Boys vocalist Jeremy Greenspan collaborates on many of the tracks.
It’s initially slightly jarring to hear Greenspan’s incredible voice over production so chilly – although the union is a natural one, Junior Boys’ sound is full and warm in comparison that it takes a bit of getting used to. It isn’t always successful, but tracks “Most of All” and “Detroit” stand up well against Junior Boys’ best material.
This week also sees the release of the Detroit EP, featuring the album’s first track. The lyrics to “Detroit” tell a story, the story of a journey to the fabled city where techno was born, presumably a journey that Geist himself would have made. It’s that all too rare thing in dance music, that is a song that adequately conveys a true love for a genre or a moment in culture that will never be seen again. Although the lyrics are filtered through Greenspan, his vocals perfectly express the mourning for the loss of a time in the same way he can express mourning for the loss of a person’s love in his own material.
The release also features two remixes by Detroit legend Carl Craig. Anyone looking for an experience akin to his remix of Junior Boys “Like a Child” may be disappointed; the second of the remixes aims for that kind of slow building techno that he has become synonymous with, but it never really hits the heights he is capable of. The first however, is probably the most all out hands in the air mix that Craig has done in recent times, and comes highly recommended. If “Detroit” is the journey to that fabled city, then Carl Craig’s “c2RMX1″ that backs it is the party when you get there. Comparatively short for a Carl Craig remix, this is only six minutes long, and wastes no time in getting to the point, transforming the original’s sweet synth horn melody into a cutting rave stab. No post of this, but stream and buy in your choice of formats here.
this lp has been the source of so much frustration for me. the production is absolutely sublime, and contra to your comment, i love jeremy greenspan’s vocals over this sparser kind of instrumentation — reminiscent of the early junior boys EPs. but the lyrics! i keep finding myself compelled to skip tracks halfway through the first verse, unable to stomach the slightly embarrassing bleeding-heart new romanticism…
yet i can kind of imagine myself enjoying similar lyrics coming from, say, the blow. perhaps it’s something to do with the juxtaposition of the cheesily earnest lyrics with the icily professional production?