Felix da Housecat - Virgo Blaktro and The Movie Disco

Genre electronica Publisher Nettwerk Records External Links Official Nettwerk Records Website

Virgo Blaktro and The Movie Disco is Felix da Housecat’s first studio album since his 2004 release of Devin Dazzle & The Neon Fever. The Chicago native is known for his interesting takes on different dance genres and this album is no different.

With the predominating use of synthesizers, keyboards, drum machines, haunting vocals and a knowledge of sound manipulation, ‘Housecat’ is able to create an atmosphere that draws from many different themes. Sprinkle in some funk bass and the occasional guitar swing, Virgo Blaktro and The Movie Disco is something like a rare mixture of funk, electronica, soul, and pop- only it’s more balanced than one might presume.

The album’s inspiration came from Felix’s early roots of soulful groove. It opens with a dance beat and hook that chants, “away we go”. Virgo Blaktro’s first full length track, ‘Movie Disco’ sets the tone with a drone like beat and an equally as temperate melody. It seems to pay homage to the 70s and Housecat’s upbringings. The next song, ‘ like something 4 Porno!” is a much sexier walk to the same kind of electronic mixture. The beat is stronger and faster while the melody is more provocative. With the lyrics “ I’m feeling sexy now” constantly floating around, it‘s easy to become hooked. The album’s fourth song, ’Radio” is a departure from it’s predecessors as it harmoniously rich and vocally focused. Virgo Blaktro‘s ninth song, ‘Monkey Cage’ is interesting because of it’s retrospective vibes, sounding like something we might have heard from the early 1980s. The best track is most arguably “it’s your move” because of it’s 70s style groove. The song immediately explodes with a very notey and rhythmic bass line and an equally as capturing beat. When the guitar and keyboards enter one can’t help but to think 70s funk and the disco-pop era.

The biggest problem with Virgo Blaktro and The Movie Disco is it climaxes too early. The best songs are mostly in the beginning and, as the album progresses, the songs become increasingly less interesting. Aside from “it’s your move” almost all the tracks feel at times very manufactured and overproduced with an entirely electronic feel. This is typical for music of this genre, but it is worth mentioning because Virgo Blaktro is supposed to be a back to roots type record; where as sound manipulations of this significance were not possible in the 70s and 80s, they‘re strewn all over this album dedicated to the same era. Although this contradiction may go unnoticed for most listeners, it fortifies the notion that no matter how deep ‘Housecat’ wants to go into his roots, he is still very much a product of his genre and his generation.

Felix da Housecat’s Virgo Blaktro and the Movie Disco is a good example of how artists of this genre are strenuously looking for ways to create novelty. The album may not break hearts or billboard records, but it is certainly worth a nod for it’s honest approach to typical generic templates. Even when the album seems to hold itself down, it finds a way to keep moving towards the finish line. And although it does not finish as well as it starts, listeners should find themselves mostly satisfied with what happens in between.