I realize saying this probably makes me a total weirdo but I think the recent breed of vaporware is spectacularly beautiful. It didn't always use to be this way. There was a time when this style of electronic production was spectral and disconcerting- the hauntology of post-modernity rendered through the plunder of mp3 rips and down-pitched vocals. I like these aspects too. They give me a lot to think about. But sometimes I just want to jam. And artists like ✞☯Future Otaku✞☯ are perfect for just that- getting your ever-loving groove on! I like how they intersect their hyper-funk proclivities with darker tones and old school hip hop on their later release Future Funk City, but 2019's Future Idols is their superior record in my opinion. It's consistent for one. The album interweaves city pop sound clips and synth patterns with Fibre-esque bass and grooves to make something that sounds close to French house, but with the blinding gleeful gloss of a C + C Music Factory single. It's an insanely bright mix that moves like quicksilver across the dancefloor, washing up around your toes and then your hips until it has filled the entire space and you are submerged in a sea of glistening motion. "The Look" definitely has a bit of that Bangalter bustle to it but possesses a lightness to the quality of its textures that make the clear night air feel heavy in comparison. You really get a sense of the city pop influences on the album with a song such as "Hypnotic Girl in Tokyo version 2" which feels like all of the high points of a Mariya Takeuchi number cut up and patched together until they are overlapping in an upsurge of sustaining climaxes. "Idol in Love" is one of the more overtly deep house-infused tracks while still managing to acquire a euphoric state of oneirism through its fountain-like bursts of synths and pitched-up vocal swoons. "Future Love ♡♡♡" breaks up R'nB pianos with boomerang horn cuts, lassoing grooves, and some sultry, slapping vocal samples, while a track like "Hinari" lights the sky on fire with the power of Japenese soul music and splashy sequencing. Like I said, I find this kind of thing completely stunning. I don't have a crystal ball, but I can still predict many more nights spent breaking it down to Future Idols in the ensuing timeline that is my life.
