Get your glow sticks ready and form an orderly queue, we’re delving into the world of dance music, and I hope you’ve packed a change of clothes and an energy drink because things might get sweaty!
Almeeva is a multi-instrumentalist by the name of Gregory Hoepffner and he’s a busy fella with musical projects reaching as far and wide as collaborations with other artists and having music featured in documentaries, television shows and even the Olympic games.
In a nutshell what we have here is a short, five-track album, that wouldn’t seem out of place in any DJ’s run list and sounds commercial enough to feature on a radio’s late-night programme. Its mid-energy, driving rhythm songs are so easy to get into and before long, you feel yourself sinking into the sound and wishing for sunrise on one of the Spanish or Greek islands.
This isn’t a paint-by-numbers approach to music, there is depth behind the programmed beats and clever lead lines, there is Buddhist poetry thrown in on opener ‘To All My Friends’ – which has a sentiment to the chorus that most of us can agree with. While ‘Explorer’ pays homage to trans artist Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
I won’t pretend to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of dance music, I’ve never pulled an all-nighter in some Ibiza club, but even I can see that what Almeeva has done is good. Surely if it keeps me interested, it must be doing something right.
For those that want a slow burn before the main course, this might be the perfect soundtrack to the ‘getting ready’ stage of a weekend, the calm before the storm so to speak. Either way, if you like dance music and are partial to a weekend of movement and memory-making (or forgetting most of it) this should find its way into your earphones.
