Why is it our album of the week: It comes on the recommendation of Olanskii.
What does it sound like it: Quite literally, Happiness.
What’s that supposed to mean: House with tinges of Gospel, Soul and packed with melodies.
Off the back of some album’s that erred on the darker side of dance music Ola “Olanskii” Smith Simonsen aka “The Boss” threw his name into the hat with a submission for the record of the week. He opted to bring a little light to our record collection with this record by Eli Escobar, a record he’d been carrying around in his bag for weeks and sneaking it into his sets whenever he can.
Happiness encapsulates it’s sound in its title, with the New York producer Eli Escobar presenting little slices of musical joy over 12 captivating tracks. The sound of the album is ingrained in the history of House music, with Rhodes piano chords and effervescent rhythms juxtaposing soulful melodies and reverential vocals, often supplied Nomi Ruiz, repeating simple little lines of vocal encouragement. There are strains of Disco, Gospel, R&B and Soul that can be felt throughout and Eli’s music, which bounds with a rich tapestry of parts that come together in constructions that can move from the dance floor to your headphones with ease. There’s an amiability to the music throughout that puts a smile on your face regardless of the context and highlights a New York sound that we don’t often encounter these days. What’s more; it comes with the Olanskii seal of approval, and that’s all the reason we need to make this our album of the week.