Electronic dance music as a genre is maligned by some because it is, by definition, functional. The tunes are produced for the purpose of providing an outlet for people to dance. Of course, dance music throughout all of history has always been viewed with a skeptical eye by artistic purists. If a musician wants you to move to his or her tune, that doesn’t mean that the song can’t be a great work of art. To be sure, there are plenty of true artists working in dance music today. Barcelona’s John Talabot is one of them, and his debut record fIN is a fun, emotionally stimulating mixture of techno, dance-pop, and house music.
Listening to fIN, one gets the feeling of a hot summer night in a crowded city (or on a sweaty, beyond-capacity dance floor). Talabot strikes the right blend of intoxicating repetition and sonic variation. Opener “Depak Ine” is an epic journey through disco and ‘80s dance-pop. The complex layers of sound include obscure, animalistic noises. “Destiny” is the closest thing to a pop hit the record gives us, featuring simple, emotionally direct lyrics (“You, come and get over here/ And give me your hand”). The dark and brooding “El Oeste” stands alongside “Last Land,” which has a relentlessly infectious call-and-response melody. If this is Talabot’s first effort, I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. Despite the finality suggested in the record’s title, I can’t help but think this is only the beginning.
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