The traffic out of the city is bad. Seems everyone is happy going nowhere. The car windows are down. I keep the car pointed forward in spite of the traffic.
A red light makes me pause.
And there it is: the ocean. Right in front of me. Its green-blue horizon stretches on as if it were background on a movie set. Seagulls overhead say otherwise. This is real. The temperature has cooled a bit from the concrete jungle behind me and the sun, my god, the sun feels good on my skin.
Something kicks within and I make the unexpected turn onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Freedom blows like a breeze from off the ocean right into the car. There is bliss here.
I follow the PCH’s winding path as the road itself seems to chase strands of clouds. Beneath skies bluer than the ocean, I begin to smile bigger with each beach town I pass. Getting lost like this is the right thing to do.
Because of a red light telling me to stop.
Because of the blue-green ocean.
Because of the heat of the sun.
The sun.
The sun.
The California sun and so I turn up the radio.
This expression of freedom is EXACTLY how it feels to listen to a producer as inspired as Electra Diamond. There really is a certain liberty to her debut release, Bayview Airlines. You actually do feel like you are traveling when you listen to the 11-tracks on the album. Hers is a soulful expression of electronic emotion and re-appropriation; this is so much more than any genre can handle. It is a talent to celebrate.
Electra Diamond is a producer on the rise. She’s been releasing singles since 2016, solidifying her skills at repurposing sounds and making her own melodies. The time taken with each single, working on all the layers, pays off here with an impressive debut album of Future Funk & Vaporwave-like jams. Bayview Airlines WILL BE regarded as a classic of the electronic scene. The Future Funk contained here certainly hasn’t been far from my conscience since its release. It is ear candy of the best quality as both your ass and your brain get to move.
Two descending notes. As they echo, they are repeated. Alongside a slowed down and greased up guitar, the world as heard by this young woman is introduced. Wow. That’s all it takes to cast the hypnotic spell that leads off the release. With “Bayview’s Best”, Electra Diamond’s edits make for a super chill entry into the overall mood of the album. It is music for the mind. The slowed down funk on display here is expressive and supremely saturated with rediscovery.
If you doubt me, just wait until you hear what she does with The Whispers super funked-up, “This Kind of Loving” in the second song. It’s absolutely amazing to hear what she’s mined here. Slowed down and chopped to reveal a new and focused depth of freshness, “For You” has us all fastening our seatbelts as we HOLD ON. With electro funk this revealing, Electra Diamond makes me wish there actually was an airline - see her cover art (also her work) - this keyed-in to both sound AND vision.
And then the mellow smooth is ironed out by the steamy “Clouds”, which is one of the early singles from the album. The song, loops and all, broils everything you think you know about vaporwave and makes it beyond evident that this music – including its use of tricked-out samples – is DEFINITELY (or is that defiantly?) an art form that should be recognized. Future Funk and Vaporwave aren’t merely passing fads and this release isn't happy being classified as either, so call it what is is: a CLASSIC.
The good times return with the buzzing vibes of “Feel Good” and the glossy chill of “Abaco Flight” as they work to balance out the electronic spectrum of emotions displayed here. The colorful patterns looped are all about the pitch-down and provide a solid blueprint for the genre itself. Follow this and be successful. Romantic and exciting, these two songs form a connective thread that is made all the more thoughtful with the inclusion of “Memories”, complete with the sigh and the cassette switch about 42-seconds into the song.
Springing out of the haze comes “Umeda Skies” and its progressive power revels in “four to the floor” passions that are both exciting and illuminating. Life feels electric again! The playfulness of this banger is easily this collection’s theme song. The emotions are all right here: the joy is effervescent and unending and these songs need to be put on repeat.
With merely four songs left aboard Bayview Airlines, there’s no time for the sadness to set it. Only acceptance because the lo-fi the mood of this release doesn’t let up.
Sparkling her way into a night of endless travel, Electra Diamond rolls out “Baby”, another song with haunting vocals and drawn out percussion effects that echo into the cerebellum with an unmatched intensity. The loop here is hypnotic and far from the carefree expression of its namesake. The arresting beauty of the song is followed by a submerged sounding introduction to “Poolside” as the dark depths of passion are plunged yet again. And the results are equally impressive. {googleads}
The purity of sonic expressions gets further smoothed out thanks to the lo-fi plunderphonic ambiance created with “I Don’t Want You To Go”, a moody meta-minded song that is all about establishing a cozy a e s t h e t i c flair; one last attempt to make a lasting impact. And it works. Vibrancy continues marching forward straight into the final song on Electra Diamond’s debut. Thanks to “Cassette Heaven”, the concluding thoughts echo into the clouds above us as this plane gets cleared for takeoff and the song gets sllllooooooowwwwwweeeedddddd down.
This Virtual Soundsystem release is bound to be a classic. Seriously. Everything comes together, including the artwork, to create an EXPERIENCE that won't be forgotten. The electronic jams here are hypnotic proof that this young woman, hailing from Prague, Czechia, is ON FIRE with mad skills at making music. Get lost like this!
Sit back and fly the friendly skies with Electra Diamond.
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