Living In A Neon City With Gold Highlights

Out of a hot pink electrical storm cloud of dance, pop, and synthesizers galore dropped a 1980s Los Angeles discotech. Where did it drop? Wherever you decide to pop in Felix Da Housecat's 2004 electronic dance release, "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever".

Felix is a DJ of a different breed. He's not really "cool". The high-brow cultural cats of this post-millennial era may have a hard time feeling Felix because he just likes to have fun. What a concept, ehh?

With credentials ranging from the video game world (the "SSX" series) to the gay soap opera world ("Queer As Folk" anyone?), Felix is just "that guy who likes to keep rumps moving." For his latest effort in "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever", Felix takes a meshing of 80's synth-pop, a heavy dose of punkish guitars, and adds his signature simplistic but groovy song-writing for his virtually unknown pop-singing friends to belt out some sweetness. And of course the drums are as slick as Vincet Vega cuttin' it up with Mia Wallace on a hot disco dance floor. Yeah!

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I want to be human, human, human, human

"Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever" is a concept album of a different breed. As Felix Da Housecat's career has moved on, he has found ways to reinvent his DJing sound with records that could almost be considered "period pieces" in their own right. This time around, it feels as if Felix is giving us a preview to the sequel to "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" (the best selling video game set in 80s Miami). That means synthed-out dance jams galore. To add spice and substance to it, Felix interjects a good filling of 80s punk. The end result is dance funk euphoria.

While Felix created the perfect atmosphere for such a concept album, he also employed the right people to take care of the vocals. Little known (or possibly previous to this, non-existing) acts such as a quintet Felix refers to as The Neon Fever, or Tyrone "Visionary" Palmer, provides great, sweaty, nightlife-meets-dance-floor type of attitude to each track.

The literal concept of "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever" is a bit more hard to physically grasp. Its importance to the construction of the album is crucial yet, your understanding of it as a listener is of little consequence or insight.

The Neon Fever brings the "girls just want to have fun attitude" to the neon street life; Devin Dazzle is its embodiment. He is every energetic sign, every inch of stereo wire, every black light. He celebrates and parties with the people he so wants to become.

I want to be human, human, human, human

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The individual songs on "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever" don't take us on a chronological ride through the feverish nightlife wasteland that is 1980s Los Angeles; they show us its spirit. In the end you may find yourself more drawn to this place then you had previously expected. After all, at the surface, this album is nothing more than a good reason to get your hips in motion.

Getting in motion is pretty easy to come by, too. The Neon Fever's lacings on the first single, Rocket Ride, come with demands to be taken, "out of this messed up world." The action-packed guitar 'n claps melody Felix has going here will leave you with no objections. When the girls join Tommie Sunshine for Everyone Is Someone In L.A., you get the total (snooty) L.A. vibe as more punk guitars and spacy synths drive stories of, "shopping on Rodeo Drive."

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that, it's not as if The Neon Fever, or anyone else on this album for that matter, are the greatest of singers. How Felix Da Housecat makes them sound good is the trick. His studio skills allow the vocalists to show their flair and attitude without worrying about being technically proficient as singers. That's how "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever" works so _well_.

For good balance, "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever" does have its slow downs and its more moody points. Ready 2 Wear has Devin Dazzle admiring the beauty of the clubbin' gals passing him by as he observes their every move. Before coming to the end piece, we are served properly with the feel-good, Devin Dazzle Theme, which serves as the lights showing their faces for closing time. Saving the best sample for the prelude to the finale, Felix pulls out one of the more blissful sounds I have ever heard, with a synth-highlighted, strings and piano loop, that raises the hair on my neck.

Things even manage to stall-out perfectly in certain spots. I know stalling out doesn't sound like the most endearing thing to attribute to an album, but sometimes you exhaust from the constant action. Even though the long'ns such as What She Really Wants and Watch Cars Go By are certainly up-beat and fun dancing joints, they become repetitive and a result of the fatigue of the nightlife. The former seems to keep in motion for the sake of keeping in motion, as a computerized female voice talks sexual isht in your ear; the latter a male vocalist over a funk beat, talking even more isht, this time about the other sex. It's good stuff, really. Like going outside the bar to clear your head and have a smoke, if that's your thing.

But the fun is the meat and the meat is on the dancefloor; at the bar; on the streets; living the life. Ladies talking a mass of noise in your ear over raucuous electro-dance synth riffs like on Short Skirts. The plain ol', running lines to get some sex ritual, such as on Hunting Season. The offer to let loose that you can't refuse on Nightlife Funworld. And there's more. This 80s Los Angeles nightlife wasteland only ends where your memory cuts it off.

Things close out with an encore dance number (Neon Human) where Felix is virtually telling us, "I'ma leave you how I met you, with your a-- shaking." With caffeinated atmospheric blips, pounding drums, and victorious synths to keep it moving, the coda is more than proper. Don't be afraid to get freaky (with me, preferably)!

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Your technological soul-mate

An indie dance album (such as "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever") is a funny concept to me. Yet, it makes sense. Your typical mainstream dance joint won't be half as thoughtful as Felix's latest, that's just the nature of the business. Instead of laying out 12-15 samey techno-pop songs meant solely for cheap 'n easy record spins at the club, Felix explores a different time in music and reinterprets it into his own personal dancehall.

This all-out fun dance thing has to appeal to you in order for you to truly get into "Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever". Poker faces and wall-huggers need not apply. If you can release those inhibitions for 48 minutes and just smile 'n kick it, you will love what Felix Da Housecat has to offer.

You blow my mind tonight, tonight
So we can dance all night

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Felix Da Housecat
"Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever"
Emperor Norton: 2004

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15 Tracks
48 min. & 4 sec.

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Written by Cryptic Cradle for Spike-A-Delic Productions.