"Funky Town" By Graflex
Review by Mae De Agua
Ian Sharrock draws from a wealth of musical inspiration, and has a penchant for paying homage to the artists who influence his music as Graflex. His new cover of Lipps Inc.’s iconic 1979 disco hit, “Funky Town” begins with a glorious nod to Giorgio Moroder, with a delicious arpeggio drawing you into a peppy synth line and playful vocals. Sharrock enjoys keeping the listener guessing, teasing with snippets throughout that evoke the styles of the musicians that inspire him. In trying to guess those little bits, I could swear I hear notes of Yazoo, Duran Duran, and Dead or Alive. Am I correct about this? Ian seems to take pleasure in neither confirming nor denying my suspicions. He will admit to a very Kraftwekian element throughout that simply cannot be ignored. And in a delightful homage within an homage, there is credit to the absolute smash that is Pseudo Echo’s 1986 cover of the same song.
One thing is sure, that there is an overall nostalgic feel in the echoey quality of the sound of this track. It instantly puts me in mind of the high school gym dance, or the end-of-the-night wedding reception. You know that feel – when the dancefloor is empty – without bodies to absorb the sound, save for the few stragglers (okay, my cousins and me), and the DJ is no longer playing for the crowd, but for the few diehards still going and trying to work out where the afterparty is.
The afterparty starts here.
This track will only be distributed for radio play, but Graflex's music can be found and supported at graflex.bandcamp.com.
-Mae De Agua
Ian Sharrock draws from a wealth of musical inspiration, and has a penchant for paying homage to the artists who influence his music as Graflex. His new cover of Lipps Inc.’s iconic 1979 disco hit, “Funky Town” begins with a glorious nod to Giorgio Moroder, with a delicious arpeggio drawing you into a peppy synth line and playful vocals. Sharrock enjoys keeping the listener guessing, teasing with snippets throughout that evoke the styles of the musicians that inspire him. In trying to guess those little bits, I could swear I hear notes of Yazoo, Duran Duran, and Dead or Alive. Am I correct about this? Ian seems to take pleasure in neither confirming nor denying my suspicions. He will admit to a very Kraftwekian element throughout that simply cannot be ignored. And in a delightful homage within an homage, there is credit to the absolute smash that is Pseudo Echo’s 1986 cover of the same song.
One thing is sure, that there is an overall nostalgic feel in the echoey quality of the sound of this track. It instantly puts me in mind of the high school gym dance, or the end-of-the-night wedding reception. You know that feel – when the dancefloor is empty – without bodies to absorb the sound, save for the few stragglers (okay, my cousins and me), and the DJ is no longer playing for the crowd, but for the few diehards still going and trying to work out where the afterparty is.
The afterparty starts here.
This track will only be distributed for radio play, but Graflex's music can be found and supported at graflex.bandcamp.com.
-Mae De Agua