Planet Funk
The Illogical Consequence

I was intrigued and impressed by Planet Funk since their debut, but I hadn't delved deeper into the subject. Then a few days ago, suddenly, in a department store, in the TV-color section in front of five hundred televisions lined up in front of me and reflected all around by deceptive mirrors, to the point of seeming like five thousand, as in a techno-hypnotic dream, the beautiful video of a track with a driving rhythmic base and an overwhelming sound suddenly starts playing at full volume. I wonder: "These are great! Who could they be? Perhaps a group created by some American electronic producer, or a bunch of Northern European DJs following in the footsteps of Daft Punk or the Chemical Brothers?" And finally, it appears written at the bottom: "Planet Funk - Stop Me". Wow! These are Italian!

Now I've had the CD for a few days, and for a few days I've ventured as a novice into the dance environment, me who is definitely more of a "rocker"....but I like it. The album definitely winks at the international market, it has a well-crafted and perfectly worked-on sound, almost glossy. It seems like the result of decades of technical and musical experience, it doesn't seem like the sound of an Italian band that emerged only four years ago. There's great craftsmanship at its core and a great production behind it, and you can feel it in all thirteen tracks. Not surprisingly, the single "Stop Me", even before it came out, was already the advertisement for a famous soda in a (red) can, widely sold and highly advertised all over the world. The album opens with a beautiful track/introduction of almost two hypnotic minutes setting the stage for the subsequent and sudden explosion of the beautiful "Everyday" and "Stop Me" that follow hand in hand. Two great pieces. It continues on excellent levels, with maybe a few more tracks than necessary, but always along the line of great enjoyment. Personally, I am particularly struck, but only because of my disposition, by the slower and melancholic episodes like "Ultraviolet Days", "Inhuman Perfection" (curiously featuring the synthetic voice of Claudia Pandolfi), and Dusk, but there is certainly something to satisfy those who want to move a bit more with decidedly more dance tracks and in some cases purely Techno.

In short, in the end, an honest and well-made CD, faithful to the style it follows and perfectly realized. It costs 18 euros, is it worth it? ... The answer is subjective, but CDs really cost too much, in any case.