With their latest release Kaiser Souzai is challenging our dragged-in listening habitude with a tune which airiness detracts us from seeing its ingeniousness. A tune where on top of the rhythm two melodies can be heard whereof the second can only be perceived. Each melody surprisingly of a defined number of bars' duration and each played alternately, dancing around each other and finally unifying. The first melody is nearly diatonic where the second melody introduces more jazz-influenced elements, with syncopation and flattened notes being technically close to Phrygian mode. The first melody seems to descend through one octave; the second melody activates our ears by an imagination of descending through two octaves. But overarching this puzzle of this masterpiece the tension is provided by the contrast between the steady percussive rhythm, and the expressive vocal melody trying to break free.
Kaiser Souzai’s “Bolero” is a homage to Maurice Ravel and his radical idea of not varying but simply repeating an archaic theme throughout the whole composition. This revolution of Ravel opened up the doors of perception of modern and todays music. It is not a surprise that this revolution was started by a Frenchmen and it is historically consistent that guys from Berlin close that circle.
It takes a lot of courage to challenge Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece composed in 1928 and to interpret it completely new. From the first note – which is silent – on it is clear that while Ravel dedicated his composition to the legendary dancer Ida Rubinstein Kaiser Souzai is dedicating their tune to us dancing in legendary ways of expressing our individual freedom. Ida Rubinstein asked Ravel to write her a composition in the form of a Spanish ballet and 85 years later Kaiser Souzai are finally coming up with their Balearic sounds fulfilling her wish. With this tune we all feel being thrown to the sanctum of our desires and needs. And somewhere in the open fields of creativity between The Police’s “Voices inside my head”, Jimi Hendrix’ “Castles made of sand” and The Prodigy’s “Firestarter” this tune does create through music and sounds warm pictures while our eyes are wide shut. We see ourselves standing barefooted in the shallow water of our inner beach. And it needs the bright composition of this tune to see and feel that beach.
Like the brilliancy of perspective, light and color of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” focuses in a mysterious smile Kaiser Souzai is underpinning that we have to free our mind and to break all conventions to understand them. It is easy to like this tune which has the chance to dominate our summer but only all those of us being submissive enough will really understand Kaiser Souzai’s “Bolero”.
Dimitri Kechagias review: Kaizer Souzai releases so far on BluFIN manage to escape the circle of the eclectic techno community and appeal to wider audiences as well. The same will happen as it sounds in my ears with their forthcoming single Bolero. The deep tech house original mix sounds a big winner with its feel good rhythm that will be hard to resist it and not to start moving and shaking your hips to it while your mind can travel to summer locations with the nice little balearic guitar riff taken from the well known classical music theme. Involving, evolving and relentlessly building will mesmerise your crowd for sure. Marc dePulse remix is the upfront translation with tribal groovy techy beats, cool funky basslines and super clever application of the well known melody that will hook your audience straight away. Last but not least for those who like it deep and dark and techno dubSPEEKA translates the original into a hypnotic underground techno monster with demanding dominating beats that will be pretty hard not to obey and dance along with it. He applies just the vocal parts and there is no melodies of any kind in it! Rediscover the classics, rediscover the techno side of life. Love iT!
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