- Toby Tobias always came across as something of a misfit on the Rekids roster. That's not to do a disservice to either artist or label, simply that his disco stylings seemed more to boost the token eclectic quota of the imprint than cohere to its predominantly house/tech-house catalogue. It would appear that Tirk subsidiary, Nang—which has taken a welcome break from its mightily busy schedule remastering old Space records—offers more of a des res, and consequently Tobias has delivered one of his most interesting efforts to date.
Eponymous track, "Chick Chick," is a deliciously fruity piece of modern funk that puffs and pants its way around seven-and-a-half minutes of Rhodes jams, cowbell-bongo duets and affectingly rubato bass. The track, of course, first saw light on a Tirk compilation last year, yet—lest it be overlooked in that quarry of nu-disco—more than merits a second outing here and even comes complete with a new 2010 mix that compresses the smoky jazz-bar wheeze of the original into more of a minimal whimper and ultimately derives less impact.
"Fluffy Fruit" is another fine achievement. Unashamedly kitschy to begin with, it seamlessly morphs into an acid groove that underpins the track's glitzier elements with style, while the repeated vocal refrain "I like it" echoes my thoughts exactly. "Rock You Will" and its accompanying dub version—essentially re-edits of Giorgio Moroder's great "I Wanna Rock You"—are perhaps the EP's weaker cuts, only insofar as they inevitably beggar comparison to their predecessor: a chord-change too few and over-tweaking of the EQ are where they eventually lose out. An impressive 12-inch overall, though.
Tracklist 01. Fluffy Fruit
02. Rock You Will
03. Chick Chick
04. Rock You Will (Dub)
05. Chick Chick (2010 Mix)