Reviews 056: Whodamanny
For me, 2018 has been dominated by all the magical 7” two-trackers from Periodica (and Futuribile). First there were the stoned echo jams of Space Garage, then the shimmering new age funk of Pàscal, and most recently, the giallo and poliziotteschi vibes of Modula. Now we have Dancing Ritual by Whodamanny, who is also known as Raffaele Arcella (of The Mystic Jungle Tribe and The Normalmen). This 7” is the most unassuming of the group in terms of packaging and presentation, yet it houses some seriously far out disco jams dominated by space funk riffing, dub fx, and vintage synths, strings and flutes. Also worth checking out the wild and esoteric music video.
Whodamanny - Dancing Ritual (Periodica, 2018) The A-side features the “Disco Version”, with a rhythmic backbone comprising a propulsive machine beat and sexy funked out bass riffing. Cosmic synth leads glide and pan through the stereo field, supporting the spellbinding echo guitar work, weaving subtle groove spirals in each ear and occasionally dazzling with ascendent soloing. Outerspace noises and synth fx drift perpetually through the mix in that Mystic Jungle Tribe style, and softer chords drop atmosphere alongside deliciously warm and lo-fi disco strings. Towards the end, playful mellotron flute dances in round with the futurist synth leads, resulting in a vibing combination of dusty disco beats, stoner funk, galactic noise, and subdued prog rock theatrics.
On the flip is the “Dub Version”, where Raffaele focuses in on the psychedelic liquid guitar line from the A-side, now given space and allowed to softly reverberate throughout the mix. The galactic riffing, dub-delay drums, and funk bass soar through a star-field of outerspace noises and zooming high frequencies, resulting in a freaked out minimal disco glide, though occasionally soft pads appear, cooling down the fiery groove with shades of dark blue. Eventually the drums fall away, leading to an extended outro of spacey guitar and synth fx. The whole vibe leans kosmische without the surrounding funk-disco structure…just hypnotic delay riffing alongside cascading alien electronics.
(images from my personal copy)
