Why does Kathy Diamond have the Eurodisco market on lock? Her voice surely isn't the greatest in the world. Functional might be a better word for her work with Aeroplane, Soft Rocks, Maurice Fulton and, now, Toby Tobias. But in this hyper-melismatic age, functional is also welcome. And, besides, Diamond's charm lies just in much in delivery as in skill—the awkward rush to get every word out in a packed line. Toby Tobias gives her a narcoticized disco backing to work over, full of bubbly synths, conga fills and vocodered Diamonds imploring you not to fight the titular subject. At ten minutes on vinyl, it has just enough time to work its magic—complete with an extended instrumental break that seems in danger of letting the song float away, before launching into an inspired reprise. Cosmic.
I:Cube's remix might be better. Taking the rotating synth groove as its raison d'être, the French producer brings the drama, cutting out nearly everything to let Diamond float above it all before bringing it all back—horns in tow. Unmoored, the song seems to hover somewhere above the ground. Trumpets in the stratosphere, Diamond in the ionosphere, the synths somewhere in between.
John Daly, whose recent Full Circle LP is an underrated gem, unfortunately doesn't come to play here. Compared to Tobias' languorous disorientation and I:Cube's epic, the solid groove and cooing Diamond does little to excite. Too fast to work in a straight disco set, too disco to work anywhere else, it'll be interesting to see who takes to this particular mix. My guess? Few will make it that far, especially when they've already got two mixes that work a treat.
Buy Toby Tobias - The Feeling at
Tracklist: Toby Tobias - The Feeling
A1 The Feeling
B1 The Feeling (I:Cube remix)
B2 The Feeling (John Daly remix)
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