I like to think that I have the finger on the pulse. I work in a reputable West End record shop where just one of the benefits is that I hear albums on Saturday that you don't get to hear until Monday. It also means that I have certain resources when it comes to viewing new releases and what's happening in Clubland. You can imagine why I was at a loss when I realised that Optimo's latest release went entirely unnoticed until I saw it on the shelf. How on earth could I make such a gross oversight? Without giving it a second thought I snapped it up as Twitch and Wilkes are to the club scene in Glasgow to what Midas was to understocked jewellers.
Ever since that fateful Sunday two years ago I have been a dunce for Optimo. What started as a hasty exit out of Brel before two divorcees scared the hell out of us more than they had ended in a positively life changing experience at the Sub Club. A packed venue full of coolios going apeshit and Twitch & Wilkes spinning tunes so wicked they should ride broomsticks raised the bar of what a good club night should be. As well as this, consistently delivering ever since and always keeping the act fresh means that Optimo isn't somewhere to do on Sunday, it IS Sunday.
Up until February the Optimo trip was largely confined to the day of rest and to a certain extent the acrimonious Monday back on the daily grind. That situation was slightly remedied with the advent of
How to Kill the DJ. This mixed compilation has made the drivel compilations thrown out by 'Superclubs' pale in comparison with its variety, fresh and underexposed content, professionalism and accomplished production. It seems odd that less than four months after their first venture into recordings—albeit with outstanding success—the Optimo dudes and dames have followed it up with their sophomore album,
Psyche Out.
The striking difference between
Psyche Out and its predecessor (which is still the closest thing to it) is the apparent laid backness. That isn't a cue to chuck around the spreading cushions and roll some spliffs however—it remains upbeat as ever and treads a tightrope of being relaxed yet intense but not chilled.
Another hallmark of Optimo is the incomparable mixing which is present here as it is Sunday in Sunday out. Twitch and Wilkes are just showing off now—the album tracks on the whole fade in to each other so effortlessly that you may need reminding at times that this is a mix and not a medley.
Several of those selfsame tracks have another of Optimo's supreme graces about them as well: the 'hidden gem' factor.
Psyche Out's a gem mine. It's reassuring to hear something like this which while broadening one's musical pallette also reminds you that there's a pantheon of great stuff out there which you haven't heard in contrast to all those anthems you're sick of. It has the double bonus of keeping on your toes and actively looking out some new sounds into the bargain.
Finishing off with Sons & Daughters—who performed the New Year gig in concert with the dynamic duo—is the icing on the cake but in a word
Psyche Out—like most Optimo projects—owns. You could do so much worse than check it out and realise you like laid back quality dance music more than you bargained for.
Psyche Out is out now on
Eskimo Recordings.
http://www.optimo.co.uk/
