ETTIKA レコード& CD

Review: Exquisite Balearic inquisitors Archeo Recordings' one mission is to dig up the lost paleolithic fossils of pelagic yore; this time they unearth the 1984 LP stylings of Ettika, with thier self-titled debut track. This bop has gone down in time as an initial obscurio, one that flew well under the radar until, apparently, tastemaker Vidal Benjamin 'rediscovered' it in a bargain bin. Then plugging it via the ironically named 'Balearic Nightmare' mix, it became an overnight re-sensation. It's easy to see why its popularity lay dormant for so long; it was originally made for a 'back-to-work' scheme aimed at unemployed immigrant youth in Rouen, France, so its utilitarian function has since been transcended here. Now reissued on fresh 12" with three newer mixes, 'Ettika' testifies to the fact that we simply need to look harder, and in the unlikely places, for the still undiscovered species of banger out there.

Review: Archeo Recordings present the best works of Ettika, who way back when laid down an interesting fusion of Italo, new beat, Arabic funk and Balearic hip-hop for a synthetic, sample-heavy chanters. Really, it's quite difficult to nail this one in words. Resurfacing after it was found in an online mix known as the 'Balearic nightmare', original copies of the record soon found itself being snapped up again; now it hears a thorough reissuing, owing to a demand that hasn't tapered since. With versions in French and Arabic respectively, it's clear that this plodding Balearic emoter more than deserves its place as a hidden classic.