3 Track EP OF Sexy Spanish Vocal Led Balearic / Poolside Groover. Japanese Balearic crew Okinawa Delays have long been friends with Tokyo-based Brit Max Essa, while the latter previously remixed one of their tracks for Mudd's Claremont 56 label. Now they've taken their musical partnership to a whole new level by offering up their first joint single. In its original form, "I Can't Sleep" adds an attractive female vocal to a sparkling, ear-catching backing track rich in bubbly nu-disco bass, White Isle-ready piano riffs, swirling synthesizer pads, typically Japanese melodies and mid-tempo beats that boast just the right amount of dancefloor weight.
The fourth single from Okinawa Delays (singer Satoko Ishimine and Okinawa-based producer Mizuki) is I Can't Sleep, a collaboration with Tokyo-based Balearic evangelist Max Essa.
This is a Balearic disco tune with a bassline reminiscent of the 80's electro-disco of Klein and M.B.O. and Gino Soccio, and a Japanese monologue that sounds like a daydream.
The Japanese monologue, penned by producer Mizuki himself, was inspired by his stay in Ibiza, and is an insomniac, daydream-like monologue of a girl after she returns from a party. (There is an English translation on the back of the vinyl sleeve.)
As always, her voice is great, but it's also interesting that the content is far from her innocent image.
The single features an original mix for the midnight dance floor as well as a dub version by Balearic master Leo Mas and a remix by Pete Herbert, perfect for the beach club or poolside.