Les Cyclades’ »Glika« is a sham. The Greek word glika means »sweet«, the producers’ project name comes from the Cyclades archipelago and on the cover someone dares to jump from the cliffs into the sea. The album is dedicated to escape and substance. What the Brussels-based duo deliver, however, only distantly evokes associations with picturesque bays, at most on the interludes »Short Hero« or »Nico«. The field-recorded intro »Yser Mystère« and the outro »Glossa«—which make references to Vangelis’ »Blade Runner OST«—form a dark, gripping noir-thriller framework that’s reminiscent of LA.
In between is »Alocasia«, a Detroit house number that would make Omar-S jealous in its simplicity and functionality. »Parc Fou« brings something spherical and serious to the otherwise good-natured Balearic genre, and »Dram« boldly plunges into the depths of the Detroit River, where Drexciya must have found the inspiration for their technoid underwater dystopias. The final piece of the puzzle is the tribalistic »PAME!« in the deep New York style of Joe Claussell.
»Glika« is not your typical Mediterranean-centred good-vibe album. It’s more like a to-the-point, first-class US house album in elegant noir garb. It’s not a sham, but a lucky find. Incidentally, most of the tracks were first released on cassette, but have long been out of print. Now »Glika« is finally available on DJ-friendly vinyl.
Glika
