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Dance with The Tyrants

Dance with the Tyrants
Classic Dance Hits Vol. 1

emotional coathanger recs
By John Hrabar

Coming off a wildly successful mini tour of Mexico, The Tyrants present a long-awaited CD of their dance classics from the 1980s.

The themes and vocals found here are often performed in a somewhat playful manner but always remain under the masterful skill of producer Michael Jaye, who co-wrote all of the CDs twelve tracks

Rarely has an American producer so capably assembled and combined so many colorful European-styled elements, and the dreamy themes found here are sung with pitch-perfect vocals by AbbeAbbe.

Sometimes actual vocal snippets themselves are used as additional percussive devices. And rarely will you find lyrical themes in a dance context that so eloquently express battles of the sexes, the night and its dreams.

Yes, here you can surely dance, but that dancing will be performed in an infinitely more cerebral manner. In the hands of a lesser producer often the more intensive tracks would unravel into utter chaos, but Jaye masterfully glides us through each element of his productions.

Nothing is excessive or wasted.

The varied output of styles found here encompass and embrace a range of styles from new wave (“Paint it Pink”) to Florida freestyle (“Love Crazy”). However, the duo confidently glides with their finest strides in the CD’s Italo-styled tracks which remain very much in parity with European releases from the period that NRG mavens cherish.

AbbeAbbe’s breathy vocal sends “Sweet Magic” soaring, while “Too Tuff to Cry” and “Matter of Time” showcase the Tyrants at their finest: pure, colorful upbeat energy.
Perhaps the defining moment of the entire collection can be found in “Crazy Dreams” where AbbeAbbe sings the passage “in the darkness I go crazy.” It’s a place where we have all indeed found ourselves, among the frenzy of the dance floor.

Dance with the Tyrants is available for purchase at iTunes, cdbaby.com and amazon.com.