Having recently opened her account on Ubiquity Records with the brilliant, Bali-inspired single ‘Kete’, Rose Robinson returns as Tigerbalm with another snapshot of her forthcoming debut album, International Love Affair. As with its predecessor, ‘Waiheke’ gleefully blurs the boundaries between contemporary club music and the rising star’s love of rhythms and musical cultures from around the world.
All of the tracks on International Love Affair were specifically inspired by places Robinson has visited pre and post-pandemic. ‘Waiheke’ is no exception, with Robinson starting work on the track following an inspirational trip to the Flamingo Pier festival on Waiheke Island, New Zealand.
Once again, the track is rooted in the London-based producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist’s deep love of delay-laden 21st century disco, organic house and deep electronic club cuts. Pairing these influences with African-influenced percussion and sampled chants, Robinson delivers a sparkling fusion of Afro-cosmic and dubbed-out nu-disco rich in sparkling synth sounds and warm, weighty bass.
Appropriately, Robinson’s original Tigerbalm take on ‘Waiheke’ is backed with a wealth of inspired remixes tailored to tantalise and tease a variety of dancefloors. The headline-grabbing remix comes from fellow ‘world dance’ fusionists Alma Negra, whose organic sounding, loose-limbed rework adds dubbed-out synth, guitar and vocal snippets to rolling Afro-disco beats and a faithful rendition of Robinson’s brilliant bassline.
A smoother, more atmospheric interpretation of the track follows next in the shape of the BANANAS FOR BREAKFAST remix – think hazy, mid-tempo Balearic nu-disco smothered in sunrise-ready chords, Steve Hillage style guitar textures and heady, star-gazing intent. It’s a remix that’s as immersive and mind-soothing as it is dancefloor-ready.
Semi-Delicious founder Demi Riquisimo, a rising star of the London deep and tech-house scenes, delivers a wonderfully spacey, tactile revision in his distinctive style, wrapping echoing sci-fi synths, intergalactic chords and chanted vocal snippets over a subtly acid-flecked house groove, while Quartz opts for a stripped-back, new wave-goes-dub-disco flex on a revision that sounds like a long-lost B-side from a sought-after early ‘80s post-punk single.
Fittingly, Robinson gets the final word with a breezy, laidback ‘Sunset Rework’ built around mid-tempo Afro-house beats, heady hand percussion, stretched-out synthesizer chords and locked-in bass guitar loops. It provides a perfect end to the vinyl version of the EP, with the digital edition also including a tidy Tigerbalm radio edit for those who prefer shorter blasts of inspired cross-cultural musical fusion.
‘Waiheke’, then, is another sublime single from an artist whose distinctive personal style is rightly winning plaudits from across the musical spectrum. Her soon-come debut album is one you won’t want to miss.
