Artist: Opiou
Album: Omniversal
Released: 2016
Okay, I get it. I’m a bit late to the party with, well, most of what I choose to review. The great thing about Opiou is that the party’s never over – it’s in a perpetual state of just getting started.
The thing I love about this producer is that everything he puts out is so staunchly of the world, so to speak. Rarely ethereal, his music unequivocally serves the party to the masses. Meanwhile, it manages to retain just enough kookiness to keep it from being pulled into the gaping vortex of mediocrity that is mainstream EDM.
This album serves Opiou’s usual fare of harmoniously irreverent vibes that pump a continuous stream of solid, sunny energy in a straightforward through-line from start to finish. It deviates pleasantly from what I’ve come to expect, though, by introducing a dash of contemplative lyricism into some of the tracks – see ‘Paint the World’ and ‘Jelly’, both of which feature guest collaborators.
Scattered across the album, there are plenty of ‘almost overhyped’ moments, all of which forever hint at the possibility of collapsing into the deep cheese zone. It never happens, though – and that makes for an exciting ride. Anything that leans towards melodrama is invariably cut short at just the right moment, before it can fully articulate, permitting the listener just enough of a taste to notice and appreciate the sharp turn.
Opiou is a master of this quality, and it renews my faith in his being the patron saint of chunky dancefloor good-times. Just follow his sampled instructions on the 80s-infused ‘Flanjitsu’, and you’ll be right.