I get complicated emotions when I hear a record like Kokoro Disco-San’s Isla Fantasia. On the one hand I want to hoard it and keep it to myself. On the other I want to share it with everyone I know. But most of all I want to go to Spain and find these guys and shake them by the collar and ask if they know just what the fuck they’re doing.
Kokoro Disco-San is a trio of live musicians but they play like a big band that’s been drilled by a mean old miser into a viciously tight unit. And on Isla Fantasia, they give a tantalizing glimpse of just how powerful live dance music can be. The title track is – know this is cheesy, I know it is but I can’t help it – a breath of fresh air, with a rhythm section so tight the rhythm gallops like the sound of a single instrument. Yet this is disco/funk that doesn’t take itself too seriously – you can hear the tones and nudges to Bootsy Collins on the one hand and Space Age Bachelor Pad and Jose Garcia Esquivel on the other. This is a lot more obvious on the b-side “Sonic Feeling” which takes funky cocktail lounge and raises it to the status of High Art and still makes it fun to drive to.
Kokoro Disco-San: Isla Fantasia / Rocafort Records
A: Kokoro Disco-San: Isla Fantasía (06:01)
B: Kokoro Disco-San: Sonic Feeling (05:26)
Love for the Underground: Originally published in 5 Mag issue 173 with Timmy Regisford, Bonobo, Soul Clap, A Man Called Adam, Rocksteady Disco & more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
