Felix Da Housecat - 'He Was King'

2009 marks the return of Felix Da Housecat. Coming off the heels of his "blaxploitation" concept album, Virgo Blaktro & The Movie Disco and GU34 Milan mixed cd, he delivers a straight electroclash party album in the form of He Was King which combines his unique pulsing style and a lot of the elements that went into his earlier albums.

The hardest obstacle to overcome in electronic albums these days is finding consistency. What makes it so tough is figuring out the right vocalists. When styles on one album can differ so dramatically, vacillating from house to electro to tech to pop, using the same vocalist can create a sense of cohesion between tracks. He Was King continues the trend. Vocals are done primarily by himself and Nese Djouma, with a few random guests here and there. The guest vocalists Angie Romasanta and Geminia, featured on "Plastik Fantastik," sing about plastic surgery and definitely sound right at home among the playful and synthetic sounds that Felix provides. "Plastik Fantastik" reminds me of his work with Miss Kittin. They also don't sound all that different from Nese, who is featured on the heavy (and I mean HEAVY) lead single "Kick Drum." The distortion of "Kick Drum" is distracting, and depending on the mood you're in, even downright annoying. It does not seem out of place among the tunes presented here however. I attribute this to, again, the cohesion supplied by having the same vocalists across numerous tracks. Felix himself sings on the second single "We All Wanna Be Prince," a straight-out 80s throwback track.

Something is to be said for consistency in production as well. I feel this takes a backseat to vocals sometimes, and the real beauty of production is ignored. Take a minute and imagine a Britney song, something like "If U Seek Amy," produced differently. Instead of the aggressive pop production, imagine it produced as a sloppy ballad, or an angry rock track. The feel of the track is completely different, correct? And that's the value of a good producer. Their job is to find the right balance of music and vocals. Even on a consistent album like He Was King, though, this task proves to be a little much. "Do Not Try This At Home" drones on for the majority of its 4-minute length, and "Turn Me On A Summer Smile" awkwardly buzzes along right after. These tracks also incorporate a funkier, soulful sound that isn't typical in the electroclash genre, and that could be where my issue stands with them. "Turn Me On A Summer Smile" could get better with more listens. Funk isn't a problem however, and Felix certainly brings it with "Machine," a ballsy groover that Nese vocalizes nicely.

She does not, however, do as well with "Spank U Very Much." The instrumentation in the track is cute but tedious after a while, dragging Ms. Djouma down with it. Luckily "Do We Move Your World" and "We" both stand out as entertaining and upbeat tracks, the ethereal vocals proving to be a boon rather than a burden. Those same vocal stylings combine with a an interesting production style in the title track which comes along at the end of the album. It isn't a slow song, but the mellow feel to the track, the way the synths are used, the way the vocals are sung, makes me feel like I am underwater. Not drowning, as I mentioned earlier, but it gives me the feeling of exploring the coral reef, or some other highly interesting underwater adventure. But, like most electronic producers, Felix likes to party in his music. Refer to any of his past albums for proof of this fact. He Was King provides that, not only with the fun "Plastik Fantastik" and against-the-grain "Kick Drum," but also in the combative electro of "LA Ravers." This track really puts the "clash" in "electroclash", a genre that Felix helped define and continues to expand with every release.

He Was King was mostly a pleasant surprise. After Virgo Blaktro let me down, and "Kick Drum" left me in pain, I was prepared to write this off. Thanks to standout tracks like "Plastik Fantastik," "LA Ravers," and "Machine," I wasn't shaking my head or taking aspirin. My only issue with the album overall is that it may take itself too seriously. The content isn't all that demanding, but even on tracks like "Spank U Very Much," there isn't much playfulness when there definitely should be, but what it does well, it does extremely well.