Review: Felix da Housecat - He Was King

Who was king and does this mean he is not alive? Probably the two crucial answers in Felix da Housecat's new album that have no clarity. I guess it's just not my year, especially when it comes to favourite musicians and my dear Felix proves me no wrong. Sadly, we could all easily go without "He Was King" and now that is what I call a bummer, although I am not surprised at all.

Felix had his best years back when the electroclash scene was still vibrant, producing and meaningful. But after it's natural downfall and his dubious return to the house family, the picture got all smothered and some people obviously lost themselves in the vast fields of electronica. "He Was King" is somewhere in between house, electro, electropop and dance, without leaving any impression of being a whole product, but rather a compilation of various works under the electronic shield. I have always thought of Felix as a wise producer knowing "da" real good stuff, but as it seems things change and in this instance not for good. Honestly...I was bored! Yes, "He Was King" was just a few ideas away from absolute boredom and I could almost fall asleep while listening.

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't come up with any praise and for what's worth this album just doesn't deserve it. Total lack of originality, songs that sound old as my grandma and brutally blunt tunes knocked out the few positive words I was planning to write down, but all went to oblivion as soon as I reached the end of the tracklist. With a few exceptions "He Was King" is a major filler either in your CD collection or on your hard disk. Actually even the exceptions are nothing special, they just sound OK compared to the rest of the material.

Songs to hear: "Machine", "Spank U Very Much" and "Do We Move Your World"

Rating: 5/10

First single:

Stuck in my mind: Felix da Housecat - Hunting Season

Felix da Housecat drilled my head for the whole day. I had the good intentions to write something about House music, but was pretty busy listening to Mr. Stallings. He is not in my favourite top 50, which is a big mistake of mine having in mind all of his stuff I discovered the last few months. For the last week his album "Devin Dazzle and the Neon Fever" is on heavy rotation in my playlist...as I have already mentioned this is my number one Housecat's album and a song like "Hunting Season" is nothing more than a proof that this is a wonderful electroclash album, full of catchy tunes and playful lyrics.

Unfortunately there is no video to the song, neither official nor fan made that is why I will post this video which uses it as a background:

Ten electroclash albums you have to hear before you die

Electroclash is one of the youngest styles in the enormous family of electronic music, but it has managed to give the world some excellent music acts and splendid albums. This is my list of the ten electroclash albums you should hear before you go to a better place (hopefully). It is not a full list and is based on my own taste and may I be excused if I miss some other essential albums or artists. If so do kindly remind me and there might be part 2 as well.


10. Felix da Housecant - Devin Dazzle and the Neon Fever

The best album by one of the most prominent names in the electroclash scene. To me he together with The Hacker are the godfathers of this style. Although his products have varied from release to release he always orbits in the field of electroclash and I am pretty sure that Felix is going to be among the last standing defending the honor of electroclash.

9. Chicks on Speed - 99 Cents

Chicks on Speed may not be one the best electro bands of our times, but on the other hand they are provocative, artistically independent and eccentric and their albums are some of the best examples of good electroclash. "99 Cents" is surely not the price of this album, but it is a fine compilation of electronic songs.

8. Miss Kittin - I Com

One of the strongest debuts I have ever heard. Miss Kittin with the help of her friend The Hacker became one of the most important figures in the electroclash scene and now just two albums later she is The Princess of electroclash music.

7. Fischerspooner - #1

Fischerspooner to some are the male equivalent to Ladytron, but they are more than that. The album #1 is not full of number one hits, but is among my favourite efforts in the electronic scene. In order to understand the whole concept of this artistic presentation of music, perhaps, you should watch some of their live performances.

6. Tiga - Sexor

Tiga is one of those artists that I began to like long before they actually released their debut albums. He came to prominence with "Sunglasses at Night" a collaboration the Finnish DJ Zyntherius and now he is famous for his tracks "Hot in Herre" (unfortunately not included in "Sexor"), "You Gonna Want Me", "3 Weeks" and "Louder Than A Bomb". "Sexor" is not a sexually explicit album despite the name, but what a real electroclash album is supposed to sound.

5. Cansei de Ser Sexy - Cansei de Ser Sexy

Cansei de Ser Sexy is probably the best newcomers from Brazil and for the last couple of years they became one of the best known bands coming from Latin America. Their eponymous album is full of tracks suitable for either parties or when you just need to cheer up. I love how they mix English and Brazilian and fuse as many music genres as they manage to.


4. Robots in Disguise - We'Re In The Music Bizz

I've discovered Robots in Disguise just two years ago and now I am a proud fan of their music. Sue and Dee don't give much shit about the music business and do whatever they feel right. "We'Re In The Music Bizz" is a proof of how good music can be without taking it too seriously.

3. Peaches - Impeach My Bush

All rise! The Queen of electroclash is in the building and she is about to blow your minds away. You might think of her as of a sweet and yummy fruit, think again! She is peachy, talks dirty, shows some real pussy galore and really doesn't give a damn about your problems. "Impeach My Bush" is how bisexuality would sound if it were a music style.

2. Client - City

"City" is to me one of the best not just electroclash, but electronic albums ever! It contains so many good tracks that if I start telling about each one of them I might need to post separate comments on every one. Sadly Client are not as famous as Ladytron, although this is no hinder to their way to the infinity of electronic music and I am pretty sure that with some more stuff like "City" they are going to be on the top.

1. Ladytron - Witching Hour

When I was thinking of this list the first group that came to my mind was Ladytron. Let's say that this is the band that actually brought the electroclash scene out of the dark and proved that this is a separate branch of the huge electronic scene. I chose "Witching Hour" because it is a fine example of how electroclash can be combined with new wave, dream pop, synthpop, electropop and alternative electronica and still sound unique. This album contains some of the best Ladytron tracks and it is among my favourite albums of all times.