Afterlife, the second album by Melbourne collective No Zu, is a party. A very well thought out and expertly delivered party, designed to hit you deep in the pleasure glands, as the music shifts and reveals its changing layers.
No Zu execute an especially funky take on worldbeat; the 1980s subgenre that took African grooves, Latin percussion, and matched them with the horns, synths and drum sounds popular in that decade. No Zu’s version also incorporates dub remixing techniques and club beats, making for a beautiful mash-up of sounds that finds a meeting point for pop, funk and dub.
The tracks are built around simple grooves and insistent kick drums and topped with layers of synths, re-pitched and chanted vocals, percussion, gated snares and horns. These elements come and go throughout, with the focus always remaining on the beat.
The eight-piece group are the brainchild of Nicolaas Oogjes, whose adventurousness can be heard throughout this 45-minute album. Oogjes has used the No Zu name for different band/semi-solo incarnations since 2007 and he describes his music as heat beat – a tongue-in-cheek attempt at creating his own genre. However, the influence of LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, Brian Ferry, Liquid Liquid and Primal Scream can all be heard.
There’s plenty of variety in the mix too – After Lifestyle exhibits the Latin influence more explicitly, and closer Zeus Zam, with its pulsing rhythm and pitched male vocal, strongly recalls Yello’s Oh Yeah.
Ui Yia Uia is built around a simple synth bass line and kick drum rhythm, but the hand drums, weird synth effects and vocals build and descend, creating moments of anticipation as well as genuine euphoria as the track reaches its peak in a blast of horns and wild sax soloing.
This is powerful, funky stuff, true believers.
BY ALEX WATTS
