REVIEW: Towa Tei, Last Century Modern (Elektra)
- Andrew Duncan
It's all a dream.
One minute you lie in bed - eyes weighed down - ready to drift off into a golden slumber. The next minute you appear in a foggy French noir-flick strolling through immaculate gardens, picking lush flowers as lovers pass by you in black and white. They stare at you as you somber off into the afternoon dressed in the finest French attire.
You are a debonair. You are the last century modern - or that is what turntablist spectacular Towa Tei would like you to believe with his new release, Last Century Modern.
The savvy talent behind the early '90s thrift-store house unit Dee-Lite, Towa Tei kept the beat rolling long after their monumental breakthrough hit "Groove Is In The Heart." His first solo album, Future Listening showcased his animate DJ skills with the instantly catchy electronica-lounge hit "Technova." Sound Museum jazzed things up a little, adding in even more international sounds, samba and other Latin rhythms and conveyor-belt loops. Tei's twisted mind was at an all-time high when he got Australian songstress Kylie Minogue to sing an elevator-music version of Hall and Oates, "Private Eyes."
Oh yeah - back to the dream. Towa Tei has you soaring through the clouds with accordion hums swooping back and forth on the title track. Strings set the mood with a melancholy waltz, leading into the cocktail hour with "A Ring." Tei twistidly incorporates smoky lounge music with humans mimicking telephone rings.
Day draws closer to evening as the Dee-lite pop antics come out of Tei electronic conception. Vocalist Ayumi Tanabe fills in on vocals, singing "Angel" and "Butterfly," two bubbly pop songs that sound better than anything on the Top 40 playlist.
Wait a second ... things are changing. Butterflies turn into animated robots and clouds turn into conveyor belts as the dream takes a strange turn. Tei pushes buttons simulating cartoonish glicks and gleeks. So this is what it sounds like in the Acme factory.
Neon beats down on the city streets as Tei's style transforms sunny rhythms into moonlight party vibes. The dance beats are heavy and the butts start shaking on "Congratulations!," featuring Corey Daye and "Funkin' For Jamaica," featuring Les Nubians and other guest musicians. "Let Me Know" is the after-party hour, calming things down.
Before Tei kicks us back into reality, he revisits the kaleidoscopic French sounds of "Last Century Modern" with "LCM," a chic way of coming full circle. However, before we sober up, Tei gives us two last chances at playboy or playgirl-ism - a Cornelius remix of "Butterfly" and a Mighty Bob remix of "Let Me Know."
Thanks to Tei, we can relive the dream over and over again.
