ODOLA - Grooovin' Blue
Mesmerizing, creative and super cool, ODOLA’s first album Grooovin’ Blue still merely scratches the surface of their undeniable talent.
ODOLA are a 2 man track making unit consisting of Pam on the bass and beats, and Numazawa Naruki on keyboards and vocals, combining various influences mainly revolving around urban soul and R&B for a unique sound. It seems like if this were an alternate reality, maybe Pam would be a typical trackmaker for hip hop artists and Numazawa could be an indie singer songwriter, but here we are with the best of both worlds. You get elastic grooves and sharp beats with mellow keyboards plus a deep library of samples and some production magic that creates moody atmospheres and this jarring/intriguing feeling of shifting in and out of reality.
Just take the “Intro”. It’s got that MPC feeling with chiptune sounds and organic shakers, but halfway through it shifts into almost jazz fusion territory when the bass livens up and the keyboards come in. On “Purple” it starts out really chill with a soul sample and warm organs, then it fades out and comes back with a totally different feel like you’ve just dived into the sea and are sinking deep underwater. And “LibertyCity” seems to switch seamlessly from normal lo-fi hip hop to an ambient, almost latin vibe. There’s also a really kitschy take on the Cole Porter classic “Night and Day,” the lead organ sounds kind of cheap but the groove is smooth, almost dub like, and the pitch of the backing chords is messed with so its like some weird trip. Many of the sounds are distorted, reverbed or modulated in pitch, giving it an unreal feeling that sets them apart from other trackmakers. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea because ODOLA doesn’t exclusively focus on the beat or the melody, it’s never purely hip hop or lo-fi, or any one genre for that matter, and maybe that comes from their two headed structure.
Arguably, ODOLA are at their best when they have a singer or rapper to lead the way, when they can surround and support a concept or verse. The best tracks on Grooovin’ Blue are easily the ones with guests - “Bathtime” with Joto Akiko, and “Every” with Chiyori and Libro. Here they can fill in the spaces, Pam builds the fundamental grooves and Numazawa provides the flourish. It’s really special, accessible yet unique and forward looking at the same time.
In that sense, Grooovin’ Blue is a slight disappointment only because ODOLA’s peak creates very high expectations. As a kind of concept work or late night sonic journey, this album only really has 4 or 5 fully formed songs, and while the Toshiki Hayashi remix of “Metamorphose” works well for this record, the original is still a cut above - still one of the most underrated songs out there. That’s why you still have to check out Grooovin’ Blue, because ODOLA’s potential is for real, and (I’ve been saying this for over a year already) you need to start taking note of their sound right now.