Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta – Jet Set Siempre 1

Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta – Jet Set Siempre 1
Tall Corn Music: 2011

When I walked up to my house on that chilly November afternoon and saw a LP-shaped cardboard box waiting for me, I kind of panicked. Did I really order that limited vinyl edition of whichever Madlib Medicine Show was dropping? Shit. Please don’t be that, I thought to myself, even as I secretly (or not so secretly) really wanted. I walked inside, opened the box carefully, and, to my surprise, found a turquoise record for an artist named Clive Tanaka. Not knowing who the hell that was, I searched for any additional materials and located a laminated card featuring a Godzilla-esque monster and some text: “Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta’s Jet Set Siempre 1 to be digitally released on record and digitally on Jan. 11, 2011.” There was also press contact information and, suddenly, it became clear – this was the illest promotional copy of an album I had ever received.

I then ran upstairs to my turntable, tossed the record on that bad boy, and let that shit spin. Not knowing what to expect to hear as the needle graced the blue-green vinyl, I was rather excited to learn that the music within the grooves was actually pretty damn good. Side A, which is called “For Dance”, jumps off with heavy doses of synthesizer-laden funk with oodles of robot-esque vocals. While the effect is slightly jarring at first, it actually fits into the aesthetic very well especially on standout jam “Neu Chicago”.  It all makes for a funky-as-all-get-out dance party that is surprisingly organic sounding, weird as that might seem. It vibes along smoothly and almost sensually, even if the vocals aren’t your thing at first. And, truthfully, you might grow tiresome of them, especially when you flip over the disc because…

The record’s Side B, called “For Romance”, features is fully instrumental and is absolutely made for dim lighting and big sips of red wine. The four tracks on Side B blend into one another seamlessly as they bounce with smooth synthesizers and keyboards, among other instruments, atop a steady drum beat. Particularly engrossing is the airy introduction to Side B heard on the sexy-as-hell, don’t-take-the-name-seriously “Skinjob”. The best part, though, is that the vibe on “Skinjob” carries on throughout while hitting immense crescendos and delightful lows.

Tanaka and his orchestra…err, y Su Orquesta might not be for everyone, especially those of you on the anti-lo-fi bandwagon – you know who you are. But for anyone else looking to try something a little different and something terribly engrossing, you should already be on Google looking for a way to hear snippets of Jet Set Siempre 1.

3.5 out of 5