REVIEW: Eiffel 65, Europop (Universal)
- Bob Gajarsky
One of the biggest worldwide hits of 1999 was by an Italian trio - Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte - formed under the headquarters of a European dance hit factory, the Bliss Corporation. Eiffel 65's "Blue", through the use of a vocoder and filtering (similar to that used to modify Cher's voice in her international #1 hit "Believe"), captured the emotions and feelings of an entire dance generation. And although many dance albums are "one hit, 2 remixes and 8 tracks of junk", Europop will provide its listeners with endless hours of midi and synthpop pleasure.
The three members of Eiffel 65 each achieved several top ten European dance hits. Being brought together by Bliss Corporation founder Massimo Gabutti enabled them to pool their influences and resources to create a new dance sound.
"Blue (Da Ba Dee) is a mix of dance and English pop, a song with a disco beat," says Jey about his group's music. "We're more like an old-fashioned Depeche Mode, a solid structure, but more futuristic. We are electronic, but we look for new sounds...it's easy to sing to and dance to."
"Your Clown" is the best example of their Depeche Mode influences, and stands as one of the instances where the often-used vocoder actually detracts from the song. Think a "Blasphemous Rumours" type of track, and you'll have the main musical thrust of "Clown", while lyrics including "I don't want to be a clown again / I don't want to live this triangle / I don't want a million lines / 'cuz I long to carry on " echoes the same type of sentiments as felt by many of the same people dancing to "Blue".
Want "Blue", part 2? "Another Race" and "Silicon World" will fill the bill perfectly. Looking for more synth-dance hits that are instantly hummable? See "Too Much of Heaven" and "Dub In Life". And in the 'what goes around comes around' department, "The Edge" sure sounds like it's begging to be covered by Cher...
When listening to Europop, it's best to free your mind, and let your ass follow.
