Prins Thomas - Prins Thomas

Written by the B&B Crew

Album Review

If there’s anyone whose name and fame walks hand in hand with the rise of cosmic disco, it’s Prins Thomas. After a myriad of 12”s, the Norwegian Prins is about to drop his first full-length album. Now, is it any good?

First things first. Prins Thomas has made himself one of the key figures in forward-thinking cosmic disco, a genre known for merging retro vibes (italo disco, anyone?) with futuristic sounds. Well that and a shitload of vintage synthesizers, that is. Disco in general has continued to prove to be a massive source of inspiration, having influenced artists such as Lindstrøm, Sneak Thief, Todd Terje and Crazy P amongst many others. Fear not, the legacy of artists such as Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley is very well taken care of these days.

After years and years of dropping rock solid disco chunks, Prins Thomas finally meets up with demands for a full artist album. And it has become somewhat of a melting pot, with the main sound obviously being firmly rooted in late 70s and early 80s space disco. The album includes only seven tracks but each of them features an extensive playtime (8:00 min. average)  and are incredibly versatile, dynamic, and cinematic.  Opener Ørkenvandring is a mesmerizing tune featuring a poprock rhythm, throbbing bass and spacey guitar work that closely resembles those 15 min. psychedelic rock songs from the 70s. A fantastic introduction, and the punchy afro-ish Uggebugg even surpasses its predecessor in terms of hypnotism. A suave jazz/ funk ensemble with a fantastic atmosphere. Slangemusikk merges electronic jazz with ambient, while Sauerkraut (with Lindstrøm on clavinet and Todd Terje on trumpet!) could be one of Air’s best compositions. Soaring guitars, playful beats and a palette of effects make up this subtle groover. Wendy Not Walter has that special Prins Thomas vibe, taking it back to the heyday of disco. This one’s full of authentic disco percussion and gloomy synths whilst covered in thick spacey synth layers. Brilliant stuff. Nattønsket further explores the path of dream-disco , while the mysterious ÁttiÃ¥te closes the album in style with a fusion of synth-loops, thumping beats and luscious strings.

Prins Thomas’ debut album is a must-have for all electronic music lovers, simple as that. Without exaggerating, the instrumental vibe on this album, largely created by the genius synth work and fantastic composing, is comparable to landmark albums from Jean-Michel Jarre and Jan Hammer, while the tracks on their own are sizzling blends of ambient, cosmic disco, pop-rock, jazz and Italo. The production… wow, outstanding. You gotta here it for yourself to know what we mean. In fact, we strongly advise you to get this album as soon as it hit stores, as it’s most likely one of the best albums to be released this year.

Buy because: you’re looking for a genre-crossing album that mesmerizes from beginning till end.
Don’t because: you’ll like your electronic music in a 3:00 format with chorus and verse without any surprises whatsoever.

Tracklist:

1. Ørkenvandring
2. Uggebugg
3. Slangemusikk
4. Sauerkraut
5. Wendy Not Walter
6. Nattønsket
7. Áttiåte

Label: Full Pupp
Release date: 29 March 2010

Fileunder: cosmic disco, interstellar synthesizer exploration, retrodisco with a twist.