There’s something altogether European about Parov Stelar’s brand of electronic music, although it stands
apart from the myriad of other producers of the same region. It doesn’t harken back to house like Spain’s
John Talabot; it’s much warmer than the ice-cold dub-textures of Britain’s SBTRKT or James Blake; and it’s a far cry from the out-of-this-world volume you’d find on any Ed Banger release. This might have something to do with geography. Parov Stelar’s an Austrian, and it’s this eastern emphasis which sets him apart from his western contemporaries.
On his latest LP The Princess, Baltic horns adorn his infectious, lounge styled production. It’s very easily grasped and enjoyed dance music. The samples throw back to thirties and forties jazz singing, the beats are never ear shattering, nor the bass; there’s a freewheelin’ energy about it. Some have described it as sounding like “the music you’d hear at a twenty-first century party held by Jay Gatsby”, that’s a fair assessment. ‘Jimmy Gang’ struts along as if its sonic suit were designed by Gucci, ‘Booty Swing’ shuffles around with horns which sound lifted from the streets of New Orleans. The album doesn’t exactly flow like an electronic odyssey; it simply stands as sensational party music. Forget Jay Gatsby, send the Vulture to a Parov Stelar party any day.
