Seduced By Freestyle

A few months back I received a submission and had always planned on posting about it but things just got crazy and then I went to Japan and then I lost the music (on my work computer, it is still at home)but thankful to Gmail's motto "You'll never have to delete anything again", I easily found the email and that now leads me to this post.

Seeing how the 90's are cool now (I can't wait for Cavaricci's to make a come back), it makes sense that freestyle music is getting revisited. Sean Wilde takes inspiration from the synth-heavy pop music of the 80's and early 90's in 10 song album, Jungle Red. A mysterious character for sure, I cannot find much about Sean, even on his website. He was previous a music journalist and grew up in the 80's. His album took 2 years to create (after a first attempt that ended in "creative block when it all came to shit").

The album is (thankfully) not a complete retro throw back to 20 years ago, rather the artist has been influenced perhaps partially subconsciously to what he was raised around (Bananarama videos?). The funny thing is that Ray was the one that made the freestyle connection to Sean Wilde. I promise to find pictures of Ray from the 90's.

Opening night is reminiscent of Fischerspooner's Emerge. You're My One and Only (True Love) is a cover of a freestyle song from 1989 by Seduction who were know for their hit It's Take Two To Make A Thing Go Right.

The song (True Love)was written by none other than Robert Clivilles and David Cole of, ahem, C+C Music Factory and the original even has uncredited vocals by Martha Wash (Gonna Make You Sweat). There is actually an original club mix with Martha Wash singing lead and ... (pause for a laugh) featuring a rap by Freedom Williams. Sean's version even has a sample from Mega Man 2. I was obsessed with that game series on the original Nintendo.

Growing up in the thick of it (freestyle that is), I was honestly amazed when I learned years later that the phenomenon of Stevie B and TKA and Suzy Q never made it out of NY and Miami. I went to a freestyle reunion concert a couple of years back and it was crazy to see what the years had done to the artists (Will To Power who sang the hit Dreaming must still be dreaming about his glory days...) but the music was solid and everybody dance until Stevie B closed the endless (6 hour?) show. However, it was Lisa Lisa STOLE the show when she stopped during her performance of All Cried Out and actually cried, tears of joy no less, from the rave response the audience was giving her! She cried! During her song All Cried Out!! Perfection. We did not need to see anymore, we left right after to beat the crowd out of the parking lot.

Back to Sean, take a listen to a few of his tracks and head over to his myspace profile to show him some love. Oh and check out Seduction's video below, it is a prime example of clichéd 90's fashion fad in it (thank god girls don't wear shoulder pads anymore... then again I'm digging the short shorts!!).

MP3: Sean Wilde - You're My One and Only (True Love) (YSI)

MP3: Sean Wilde - Opening Night (YSI)

MP3: Seduction - It Takes Two To Make A Thing Go Right (YSI)

I apologize for no ZShare links but for some reason (IE or Firefox) it does not let me upload tracks from work. Oh well.

Seduction - You're My One and Only (True Love)