Mobilee’s choosy younger sister, Leena Music, deserves praise for getting established producers away from their usual hangouts for one off singles. Their first salvo of records came from Holger Zilske, Catz N’ Dogz (3 Channels trying on another moniker) and Paul Brtschitsch. Olivier Mateu, one half of Parisian duo The Youngsters, adds his name — or rather his seldom used Rodriguez Jr. alias — to the list with his single, “Rubbo Swingo.”
“Rubbo Swingo” varies between minute detail (such as flecks of scraping noises and sub-melodies placed deep in the mix) and an overt hook to keep listeners interested on both sides of the turntable. Its thrumming riff careens up and down the scale like an elephant’s war cry, alternating between sharper and softer attacks as it carves itself into dancers’ frontal lobes. But whereas “Rubbo” sticks in the mind, “Soledad” likely already exist in many enthusiasts’ memory. Intentionally or not, the track’s main progression is cribbed almost note for note from one of 2006’s biggest hits, Loco Dice’s “Seeing Through Shadows.” While the number of notes and the surrounding bittersweet pads are markedly different, the shadow of its exemplar looms large over the unremarkable progeny. Though “Rubbo Swingo” is an upside, Mateu might still need the other Youngster on hand for quality control.
[…] of Mateu’s Leena debut, “Soledad,” reached for the same clever riff, a fact noted in an earlier LWE review. What makes Mateu think it’s OK to steal another track’s hook, let alone twice? Does he […]