What?!

The front cover of this recording is a tad misleading. This is not a William Onyeabor album, but the first full-length in Luaka Bop's and Moog's collaborative remix project. Moog actually made William Onyeabor-branded synthesizers for use by the 21 musicians involved. What?! is the initial full-length in a multi-volume series. Onyeabor's versions of these ten tracks all appeared on World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? Interestingly, this is not strictly a remix album; there are a number of covers here too, such as Hot Chip's opening read of "Atomic Bomb." It's quite good, but the raw bassline and snaky guitars criss-crossing with the various rhythm tracks on the original are sorely missed. There are three remixed versions of "Body and Soul" here by Justin Strauss & Bryan Mette, David Terranova, and Scientist. The first is forgettable; the last is a thumping dubwise version; Terranova's is the most compelling because it melds nu-jazz and house in a such a seamless way, and stands in sharp contrast with the original -- only the vocal remains, but even its consonance has been turned inside out -- it becomes iconic on its own and is arguably the best track on the set. The Vaccines' rework of "Heaven and Hell" (retitled "Do You Want a Man?") contains the original drum breaks, organ, and guitars, but they've all been mixed way down to allow the new synth lines and vocals to come to the fore with a new bridge added. It's far more polished than the source cut, and has its own pop appeal. But it doesn't match the infectiousness, tunefulness, and danceability of the original; it isn't supposed to. The thoroughly revisioned cover of "Why Go to War" by JD Twitch (aka Optimo) uses an exceptionally nasty Moog bassline and funky synthetic organ lines to make it a highlight. Ultimately, What?!, like most remix albums, is a mixed bag. When it works -- which is far more often than not -- it adds mystery to and a 21st century affirmation of Onyeabor's idiosyncratic and timeless musical vision. ~ Thom Jurek

ただごとではない! ナイジェリア奇天烈ファンクの父=ウィリアム・オニーバーの珍味音源の数々を、ホット・チップやJDトゥイッチ、ダフニらカルト・ディスコ・マニアがカヴァー&リミックスした狂宴盤! そもそも素材自体が浮世の習いとは別の次元で作られた異境のサウンドだけに、無軌道に歪んだ電子音やずっこけトロピカル風情を存分に活かして突き抜けまくったキレッキレのストレンジ・ディスコ過積載の一枚に! 濃ゆっ!
bounce (C)佐藤大作