Even if certain elements of the nineties can be found in fashion at the moment, this doesn’t automatically herald a return to »nostalgia« or »retro«, at least not in a musical context. Instead, Italian duo Pippo Landro and Sergio Pisano, known as Bokaye, have managed to create a timeless »Ethno Groove« that scores in terms of its club appeal, as confirmed by numerous comments and the high demand on various online platforms. All the better then that a label like Emotional Rescue exists to ensure that this long lost maxi-single from 1990/94 is safely and cleanly restored to the present. The same track appears four times, always in a different mix or version, ranging stylistically from New Age to Balearic to Tribal to Deep House. The sounds are occasionally reminiscent of some of Holger Czukay’s (Can) solo work, such as »Persian Love« from his 1979 album »Movies«, thanks to the sample-based, collage-like production. More than a decade later, sampling technology offered a much wider range of possibilities, and Bokaye was adept at exploiting them. Puzzle pieces from the ethnic folk music of different countries are used, for example an Indian sitar with a North African voice. The groove rolls with Afro percussion, the beat bounces with the electrified elemental force of familiar drum computers; and suddenly a pan flute from South America appears. But the brief moment of magic flute is quickly put back in its place by the deep house »clap slap bouncers«. Of course, a touch of acid should not to be overlooked either, especially considering that it was produced in 1994. Between saz, sitar, drum programming and plenty of samples, there’s still room for some dreamy Balearic scenes.
Ethno Groove
