A few indie bands make genre exploration their biggest priority. I'm thinking of groups like Emperor Penguin, Ladytron and Trans Am, bands that make selecting the style of music -- be it neo-electro, 80's rock or synth pop -- the first step in composition. It's weird that these bands never try their hand at straight disco. It's one of the most identifiable genres of music, with plenty of wink-wink potential if that's your angle-- and, well, it's fun. And, if they know what's good for them, genre bands should about fun. I'm happy to report that Louisville's VHS or Beta emerges now to fill the disco void.
Yes, VHS or Beta are a four-piece indie band (two guitars, bass and drums) who play disco and nothing but. The graphic on the inside of the CD tells the story. It's a purple and magenta drawing of four young guys on stage, guitars in hand, performing under a neon "Le Funk" sign straight out of that opening shot in Boogie Nights. Confirming the indieness, one of the guys sports a decidedly post-grunge stocking cap and goatee. You might ask yourself why, when there are good house records being released every week, the world needs an instrumental band playing original disco tunes. Doesn't the DJ booth provide the club entertainment?
Well, there are certain qualities to this debut EP made possible only by getting a band in a room. You see, VHS or Beta are also a jam band who happen to play disco, as Le Funk's closing live tracks make explicit. The first couple minutes of "Teenage Dancefloor" consists of nothing more than a bass drum thump and dueling wah-wah guitars. It's like Spacemen 3 getting funky on Shakedown Street-- groovy music from where the KC don't shine. The four studio tracks are much more slick and composed. VHS or Beta being an instrumental band, the reference point for these tracks is not the Bee Gees, but the faceless instrumental tracks that also graced the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Think David Shire, not Donna Summer. These tracks are solid feel-good music, but only the opening "Heaven" really leaps out of the speakers. It opens with a glossy update on the lead riff from Shaft, then glides into a boogie wonderland of glistening crescendos, rock-solid beats, and finally, a party chorus chanting something about getting down on a Saturday night.
"Heaven" contains by far the most prominent vocal on Le Funk and points to a possible direction for the next record. With a few proper songs and an attenuation of irony VHS or Beta could eventually turn in something truly amazing.
