If electro bass lines and 808 kicks until you bruise is your thing, this is gonna be your soundtrack for quarantine. Hearkening to the ’80s but with less sheen than synthwave, “Habibi” is a soundtrack in search of a movie, music from an unloved pilot episode of a crime drama based loosely on Stallone’s Cobra. It’s also a lot of fun. There’s a trashy gleam to this stuff that can’t be faked — it oozes with a time- and genre-specific authenticity from legit old gear daisychained into a web of dirty cables and MIDI schematics.

The pre-sets get a thorough workout on the Andy Sidaris-inspired “Sharks, Lies and Videotape” and the air-conditioned swagger strut of the Harold Fatermeyer send up “Joe Armstrong Theme.” It reaches something of an apotheosis on the title track, which gets remixed into a gleaming neon blur by Lauer and punched up by Mix & Fairbanks.

COEO: Habibi Dub / House of Disco (April 24 2020 / 12″ Vinyl/Digital)
A1. COEO: “Habibi Dub” (7:04)
A2. COEO: “Sharks Lies & Videotape” (6:58)
B1. COEO: “Habibi Dub” (Lauer remix) (6:34)
B2. COEO: “Joe Armstrong Theme” (6:07)
B3. COEO: “Habibi Dub” (Mix & Fairbanks remix) (6:23)

 

 

Originally published in 5 Mag issue 181: A Tribute to Mike Huckaby. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.

 

 

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