Groupees, which was once just another indie game bundle website, has since become my go-to for discovering new music. But no discovery has been as mesmerizing as their Strawberry Station bundle. This was my first introduction to future funk, and I gotta say, I’m about as swept away as I was when I first heard electro swing. Unfortunately, after skimming through the discography of several other future funk artists, I might have already maxed out what I’m gonna get from this genre. Strawberry Station is pretty much the best of the lot.
I’m really impressed by Strawberry Station, though. Of course, maybe that would change if I was more familiar with the original source material. Future funk is all about cutting up and remixing older music, so it’s entirely possible I’m giving too much credit. But after hearing similar remixes from other future funk artists, Strawberry Station is definitely doing enough to stand out. He seems to have the right knack for what to loop and what to distort, and I enjoy the little video game sound effects that are sprinkled throughout like Easter eggs.
Speaking more to his latest album, Smoothie Sounds, it’s… not bad, but far from my favorite. I absolutely love the song “Always Be Together.” Others like “Turn Of Fraise” and “Everybody Gets One” are pretty good, too. The rest are passable except for maybe the last two that slow things down a little too much. I think the problem is just that the loops being used here can become more grating if you’re not in the mood. To be completely fair, though, if I wasn’t already spoiled by Strawberry’s other albums like 128 State, I’d be singing higher praises. ‘Cause at the end of the day, it’s still good stuff.
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