Saturday Flashback: Electric Lady Lab – You & Me

“Just anaemic.”

Tim: When we featured them only a few days ago, it seems I was shamed by not knowing there was heavy sampling involved. I wish to redeem myself by saying that I am entirely aware that this, another Electric Lady Lab track from last June, also has sampling involved. Two things:

  • No video, just several thousand still pictures.
  • They are the only band (I’m informed by the internet) to have been given permission to sample the track that they are sampling.

Tom: Okay, I think I get Electric Lady Lab’s shtick now. They sample old 80s tracks, add new vocals to them, and chuck them out as new songs.

Tim: Actually, most of it’s original – just a couple, really. (Oh, and PEDANT: this is from 1990).

Tom: Which, let me remind you, is 21 years ago. Feel old yet?

Tim: Not as old as you, Mr Two-years-older-than-me.

Tom: Anyway, as I said before, I like mashups – but the tracks they’re putting out are just anaemic. The old ones are better: mashups and samples should improve on the original and make something better, not just add a weak new vocal.

Tim: Here, I actualy agree with you – it takes away a lot of the focus from fact that it’s a new the new song, because every single moment that they’re not singing it sounds like Rhythm Is A Dancer, just because it’s so implanted into people’s head. The singing is excellent, when it’s there, and worthy of being in a great song – just not this well-known a song, because it just sounds like a mash-up.

Tom: Granted, it’s better than the travesty we had last week, but it’s still not good.

Tim: Bonus related fact: “I’m serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer” was once voted the worst lyric of all time.