Electric Monkey Records
Name of Album: First Compilation
Ratings: Personal - 4 General - 4
Release Date: September 2002

Comments:

Electric Monkey Records first company release entitled First Compilation is an instant hit. Fun for the whole family! Lest, you think less of me, of course I was being facetious.

However, at 7 AM on a Saturday morning whilst both my boys were eating their Special K, the 3-weeks-short of one-year old was rocking to and fro cheerfully to Joel's Won't Take No, the first track on First Compilation. The three-year old apparently was most moved by GearWhore's Truth, because that's when he declared "Papa! I like this music!" And of course, Papa had his favorite too: Unka Sega's I Must Not Chase the Girls, a hip scratch version of an elusive dancehall resolution, which the producers write was engineered while they were fooling around the studio, thus there are no credits to the remixers.

Although George Sarah has the most established commercial success of all the selections, I was the least impressed by his entry. The song reminded me too much of Banarama meets the Brady Brunch meet a bunch of Brits who last produced hit records in the late 80s out of Manchester.

Along with the First Comp compilation, the promotion included a one song sampler with four remixes of Joel's Won't Take No. It was a pleasant surprise.

You see I'm a sucker for images and the album cover simply did not allure me. In fact, it set low expectations. So with whatever final façade Electric Monkey Records releases this album don't be fooled. The first remix was by far my favorite. It blends an African sounding vocal harmony, House and horns reminiscent of Earth, Wind and Fire, all cumulating into something both pleasant to simply listen to, and at the same time an immediate prompter to move to the dance floor. On occasion, the producers on this cut throw in a disco guitar riff, the effect is an intertwining of two formidable gay musical movements into one very special melody.

Overall, Electric Monkey Records seems to have a pretty good grasp on what could constitute some commercial success for this start-up. I would recommend buying their First Compilation to the serious music listener (500 CDs or more) just to get a sense of what's on the horizon. They get a 4 for good luck with the launch!