Ursula 1000
(Eighteenth Street Lounge Music)
Using the name Ursula 1000, DJ/producer Alex Gimeno trucked in a furtively retro sound, taking inspiration from the cocktail exotica records of the early '60s and the bossa nova and flamenco sounds that filled his house growing up. It made for a kitschy, though quite danceable sound that fit perfectly into the Eighteenth Street Lounge scene - the label and club started by Thievery Corporation - he became attached to.
Gimeno has since moved further up the musical timeline for his recent work, taking stock of his collection of '70s space funk, glam and early hip-hop. The sound of Mystics is still retro, but it has an immediacy and depth that his previous work was often lacking. Using a bevy of guest vocalists, including Kathleen Cholewka of the Brooklyn disco funk group Discovery and Texas-based MC Tee Double, Gimeno evokes the supernatural title of this disc, letting loose tracks about zombies, wizards and "This Magick", where a whispering gent speaks of incantations and the black arts.
Elsewhere, Gimeno sticks to all things sexy, letting Rochelle Vincente Von K purr her way through the suggestively titled "I.C.O.M.E." and providing a filthy disco beat on "Do It Right" that sets the mood no matter what your proclivity. Like much of the material released on the ESL imprint, Mystics is perfect for the dance floor and the bedroom floor.
Standout Tracks: "I.C.O.M.E.," "The Wizard," "Star Machine" ROBERT HAM
