At first, I’m a little wary based on the press release’s description: “cheese funk” being the operative term, and not a particularly flattering one, although maybe it’s for the best to just come out with that up front. The label goes on to describe Persona La Ave as “one of future funk’s first artists;” again, not necessarily a compliment, but enough for me to give it the official click.
Cheese funk, future funk: what do these mean, if anything? The aesthetic here is not so much future as what people in the past imagined the future might sound like. These tracks are representative of a larger trend characterized, not by mere 80s-90s nostalgia, but nostalgia for the most recent wave of 80s-90s nostalgia which brought us the likes of Washed Out, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi, et al. That being said, many a saccharine pop gem has resulted from these artists and their successors, and Persona La Ave won me over with at least one track of the five available on the MJMJ Bandcamp.
My favorite though — probably the least likely to emerge as the single — is “Movement,” the ninth of ten tracks on the album. Traces of Teen Inc. production and spastic synth-drums mix nicely with wordless vocal jump-ins, creating a nice sense of — dare I say it? — movement across the track’s four minutes. It seems like the creators felt re a bit more free on this track, careless about paying homage to their predecessors, trust themselves a bit more to get outside their comfort zones, and it really pays off.
If you like “Movement,” scope the MJMJ Bandcamp site for further info on Persona La Ave’s RELATION / TEMPATION. The tape goes for $6.66, or if you feel that this cheese needs to be tasted in FLAC to be fully appreciated, there is the $4.20 Bandcamp d/l option.
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• Persona La Ave: http://personalaave.bandcamp.com
• MJ MJ Records: http://twomichaeljordans.tumblr.com