Theo Parrish: Musical Metaphors Vinyl 12"

Debut release on Theo's inimitable Sound Signature imprint reissued! Originally released in 1997, The first release on Theo Parrish’s own Sound Signature label was one of the most shocking and unprecedented releases in “dance music” at the time. Possessed of one of the greatest song titles ever, “Carpet People Don’t Drink Steak Soda” is as tight and coherent a summation of Parrish’s unique aesthetic and range as a producer as anything that he’s released. I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone else before Parrish (besides fellow Detroit resident Moodymann) who existed in such a parallel world to mainstream dance music by so fiercely insisting on its roots in disco, Chicago house, jazz, and Detroit techno. Starting with a funky boogie-disco loop stretched and pulled to its edges like a rubberband close to breaking, the track winds it way through clicky rim shots, deep abstract Detroit keyboard riffs, and fractured vocals, jacking like it’s 4:30 in the morning the whole time. “Shadow Dancing” is Parrish minimalism at its finest, a stripped down beat underneath restrained, shimmering slivers of keyboard that sound like they’re drifting off into sleep, while “JB’s Edit” is just that- a raw, lo-fi edit that turns a slice of James Brown’s backing band into a jack-track. Indispensable for Parrish fans, and the usual limited repressing.

• music label: Sound Signature 1997/2016

reviewed by Language 04/2016