Album Review: Roosevelt Brings A Self-Titled Debut Into 70’s Disco Glory
Roosevelt has remixed for the likes of Glass Animals, Jax Jones, and Luka Vasta, which are just the few names to this German producer’s repertoire. His electronic stylings are soft like lullabied mixes, but manage to carry a groove that makes you want to strut your stuff. Thus, Roosevelt’s enters you with a grace and takes over with a force. He just might be the first DJ to create a “pillowy bassline” that makes you think you are happily dancing on a plush mattress. Now, with his own full-length self-titled debut, Roosevelt continues to show his multi-talented and multi-faceted approach to the disco scene.
Colors/Moving On
From the album’s intro, Roosevelt simultaneously places a stamp on the club scene while you place your foot on the dance-floor. Songs like, Wait Up and Fever, bring a flood of 70’s images; I’m talking bell bottoms, disco- balls, afros, and huge golden shades. You feel the glamour of the era, where people wore neon jumpsuits and dancing was anything but a two-step; it was choreography! His modern take on an old-world vibe gives the album a tone of “fabulosity”: fabulous meets velocity. Although, it is not the rhythms that bring a sense of “velocity” or fast pace. It is its images of a sparkling, quicker lifestyle: where anxiety is non-existent and beauty is necessary. He summons dreams of the beach or at the club, which makes his music not simply good but “feel good”. It rides completely on the idea of youthful bliss.
What I enjoyed most about this album is that plays into the idea of youth without feeling gimmicky. When people think young, they think careless and constantly smiling. There is no shame to youth; only a sincere belief of invincibility. It is that idea that makes people both love and hate younger generations. Yet, this album treasures the fresh naivety of being young. You can literally envision a “pack of youngsters” laughing among palm trees or driving amongst the stars when you hear songs like, Hold On and Heart. Hence, the album is far from farcical in its cherishing of youth. It is fun and dynamic, in part, because Roosevelt has mastered the “sun-kissed” song.
A “sun-kissed” track is when every beat feels like an enlightened sun ray. They fall upon the song with a brightness that is unavoidably joyous. Absolutely every one of Roosevelt’s tracks have that sun-kissed vibration, even darker toned ones like Daytona and Close. It is a sonic marvel, that despite the”heavier baselines”, there is an unwavering absorption of each song like a nice tan. Even the darkness hinted at in the title of ’Night Moves’ is more about the energy you can get from peaking in a club at just the right time. As Roosevelt explains, “It’s about the situation at night in a club when the energy is created as the night comes to an end. The later the night gets there’s this peak of energy and people are having the illusion that there’s no end to it and that power is incredibly strong.” Again, Roosevelt plays with sonic frequencies to musically develop the invincibility of youth. In addition, Roosevelt has a wonderfully wave-like voice, that blends beautifully with each song as if his voice was the ocean and the instrumentals was the sand. Hence, the album feels fluid in it entrance into your ears. There is a smoothness that is stunning in its simplicity, but rich in its capacity to make you feel good. Again, I must reiterate this album makes you FEEL GOOD!
It may be an over-simplification: Buy Roosevelt because it makes you feel good! Yet, is that not reason enough to get an album or discover a new artist. I am all for music that is “soul”, but soul does not only mean sad or raw. The “soul” is spiritual, which means it could be about happiness and having confidence in your loveliness. Roosevelt shows that in his self-tilted debut. Being soulful could also mean being open and truthful in your celebration of life. Roosevelt comes out August 19, and you can click Here to buy the album and learn more about the artist: Roosevelt.
