Tim Paris -
Dancers (My Favourite Robot Records)
 |
| Tim Paris - Dancers |
Release
Date: 24th March 2014
I have a cousin called Tim. He teaches European History to
American kids. That, to me, kinda fits but 'Tim' as a dance artist's name
doesn't really do it. But hey, what's in a name? From Marseille, living in
London and called Paris, Tim gets straight down to business with 'Golden Ratio
(feat. Georg Levin)' which features pounding drums, throbbing bass and vocals
that wouldn't be out of place on a Hot Chip or LCD Soundsystem record. 'Rain
(feat. Coco Solid)' has an addictively infectious thrum to it which, when
combined with the electro vocals, makes for something quite lovely. Recent
single 'Outback, Stones & Vinyl' has what is fast becoming a typical 'Tim
Paris' sound with subtly relentless drums and slow building layers of melodies
made of electronic and organic instrumentation.
There is an element of prog about Paris' music as he builds
tunes up from low hums to gyrating beasts of funky proportions. 'Minireich
(feat. Sex Judas and Rupert Cross)' is an 80s industrial disco tune which is
disturbingly alluring while 'Disco Ellipse' feels like a dance tune performed
using computers that still use floppy discs which gets pretty funky by the time
it climaxes. There is a darkly, seductive sensation building within 'Unsung
Deaf Hero' that never quite reaches a crescendo as you hope it might but 'The
Grip (feat Ben Shemie)' takes things up to another level as the beats
insistently march on and you can almost imagine Pink Floyd-esque animation
behind the music.
This album seems to get less like a band and more electro as
it evolves which puts Paris in the same part of the Venn diagram as James
Murphy or Beck. 'Extreme Nails' is, for me, the stand out track on the album as
it combines a dirty, growling bass line with irresistible beats and undulating melodies.
Having said that, the punk guitars and heraldic horns that open 'You'll Never
Know' are pretty neat and 'Heaven Parking (feat Sex Judas)' could easily be
heard drifting from a futuristic monastery where our friend Sex Judas is the
grand high priest. The album closes with 'Backseat Reflexion (feat Forrest)'
which is an oddly dissonant but nevertheless appealing piece of indie disco
that Bloc Party would be proud of. This is the kind of music that should and
will be heard wafting out of trendy bars from Hoxton to Barcelona this summer
so you had better start practicing your slow hip sway now. Or risk looking like
a complete tool.