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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Dj b.bOy [TMP] - "Italiana"

The gall this woman must have. Her intentions are not even masked. Her end goal is obvious to any observer. Yet it not so much the request for a slow dance that merits outrage, but rather he person leading. A complete stranger has been solicited, and in front of her husband to boot!

Such is the penultimate scene of Ermanno Olmi's debut. After following a journey toward office-bound paradise, main character and audience alike engage in well needed exercise. By means of voyeurism, eye muscles are trained. Apparently everyone in this sprawling bureaucracy has been suppressing joy. The band - vaudeville entertainers really - carry the Christmas party. Meanwhile, folks show their real-world selves; if not for a brief moment of respite.

Infidelity merely provides much more of a kick than champagne proper.

What follows is not neo-realism. But much like Olmi, Dj b.bOy has made a Southern European female his subject. As it turns out this Tia Maria Produções member is hardly finished with romance. Following the release of "Lips," b.bOy wasted no time in releasing another track. And much like its predecessor, "Italiana" is both emotive and surprising.

The ninety second "Italiana" is fairly obvious on the surface. b.bOy has not ventured too far from his roots. Like "Lips," the song below is a tarraxo and features a dark, funky bass. The 2-bars on "Italiana," though, hardly demand equal attention. This is a rhythm section that meets the necessary criteria and nothing else; the definition of minimalist. Vocal samples and the snare drum are common in b.bOy songs, just not in this fashion. Syncopation is found from an organic source - just subtly. Likewise, auxiliary percussion (see: cymbals) are used - but only in transition. The reason being that melody is predominant. Three synths are used in tandem - a strategy used once, or maybe twice before - to bolstering their profile beyond window dressing into WEDIDIT territory (even if it was CDM that started an LA Party first). The longer phrasing allows the melody to carry the track's identity in all but ten seconds reserve for a brief intro and outro.

Though not seminal, it is certainly imaginative and pleasant sounding. Worthy of playing at high volumes

- John Noggle


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