10. Ronika – Selectadisc
It’s been almost 3 years to the month since Veronica Sampson sent across as rough cut of ‘Forget Yourself‘. Since then Ronika has been fairly, or unfairly, compared to Madonna, worked with a range of artists including Mylo and Shook, and attended Red Bull’s Music Academy.
‘Clock‘ is one the album’s brand-new tracks and is one the album’s highlights, as Ronnie aims for something akin to Kraftwerk thanks, in part, to Charles Washington’s robotic vocals – but don’t be fooled Ronika is still on hand to make sure it still falls on the right side of pop. ‘Wiyoo‘, yet another fan favourite, is straight out of Nile Rodgers disco play book, backed by modern funk basslines and Ronnie vocals which, once again, take centre stage. ‘Earthrise‘ is another early favourite from the new tracks, it’s one of the few tracks that isn’t going a million miles an hour; that being said by the time you hit the last 30 seconds it does go a bit bonkers. Ronika arguably leaves the best until last with ‘Search Siren‘ which is a moody cosmic delight falling somewhere between Kate Bush and Abba.
Usually 13 tracks of unadulterated disco pop might be a little too much for some but ‘Selectadisc‘ is one of those rare albums where Ronika’s 80s influences are so well entangled with more modern, contemporary electronic influences you’ll spend literally days trying to untangle this disco rubbix cube. For a debut album, ‘Selectadisc‘ can easily stand alongside side ‘Destroy Rock And Roll‘ – it’s that good. Both came out of nowhere, both were DIY efforts and both managed to reference the best of the 80s without being a pastiche. With bland house seemingly taking over the UK charts, ‘Selectadisc‘ stands out a mile with its shiny shell suit and ghetto blaster set to 12.
Written by Andrew Rafter
