diskJokke: Staying In (Smalltown Supersound CD)
Norwegian producer Joachim Dyrdahl is new to my ears, but his debut full-length, Staying In, sounds like the work of a veteran producer because it's so thoroughly detailed, thoughtful and well put together. By and large one could probably label this a space disco album in the Norwegian tradition of Lindstrøm or Skatebård, but Dyrdahl's tracks generally are more expansive and incorporate more various sounds than those aforementioned artists.
The first track starts things off with a bit of flair, beginning with a lovely, epic piano pattern that recurs throughout. It's a long track but it is never tiresome, alternating between the house touch of the piano riff and a zippy synth melody that recalls the playful nature of an act like Plone (!). This balance between mischievous melody, body-moving rhythm and spacious sounds is not always an easy one to pull off, but here it seems effortless. "Større Enn Først Antatt" features a buoyant bassline but really sings due to its sharp melodic sensibility, recalling the more dancefloor-friendly moments of an act like Plaid as much as the chunky groove of Lindstrøm; this comes through on closing track "Some Signs Are Good." "Interpolation" expands upon this trend with a delicate melodic touch and slick production that could align with an accomplished tech-house artist like Trentemøller.
All these melodic leanings make for lush listening, but Dyrdahl is quite capable when it comes to bringing the funk, too. "Cold Out" is a total mammoth with its layers of percussion, all clangs and thuds and claps in a ball of sweat."Glatt" is probably the most full-on slab of space disco, with its chunky claps and reverberated synths, all nodding along to a repetitive bassline that keeps things moving., a nice segue into "The Dinner That Never Happened," which is the best of both worlds, combining his melodic panache with dense disco underpinnings.
Despite all the various names I've dropped here, diskJokke's debut is far greater than the sum of these comparisons. He is quite adept at fusing sounds, crossing over between what can sometimes be exclusive micro-genres of dance music. He's not afraid to run free with melody or to veer slightly off the more predictable disco path with cool flourishes, unexpected turns and fun combinations of sound. It's a very strong entry, especially as a debut, and comes with the highest recommendation.
mp3s: Folk I Farta | The Dinner That Never Happened
more information: Smalltown Supersound | Myspace
buy it: Boomkat | Juno | Forced Exposure | Amazon | iTunes