Ghettoblaster is defined as a large portable stereo, carried and played by a pedestrian outdoors. The pedestrian carrying this Ghettoblaster is none other then New York-based Armand Van Helden. The sixth album from Armand, 'Ghettobaster was released May 7th on labelmate Norman Cook's Southern Fried Records. Where to start, what to say, how to describe the album? As Armand puts it: "On this album I was going for a retro throwback 1985-89 soul up-tempo urban type sound. Chicago meets Miami meets New York City kind of thing. Or to put it differently, house meets freestyle meets hip-house meets club meets new wave."
The first single from the album 'Touch Your Toes' with vocals by Bronx-based rapper Fat Joe and BL give you an idea of the variety that is very unmistakable. The melting pot of sounds bleed all over the album with the likes of the freestyle track 'Still In Love,' to a Chicago acid house-flavored 'Je T'aime', to anthems like 'I Want Your Soul' and 'NYC Beat.' Armand wears his influences on his sleeve, bringing back an era of dance music with his style only like he can. Van Helden pulls off a nostalgic celebration of the 80s with a 12-round energetic assault on the ears. In the words of Armand "I like making sex records."
Undoubtedly 'Ghettoblaster' will have you sexing on the dance floors for years to come.