Beatnik’s latest single ‘Feel Alive’ is a sublime trip through the most soulful of soul funk. With world class production and arresting vibes, Beatnik’s work hits its mark with near impossible immediacy, making ‘Feel Alive’ one of the most easily arresting and engaging releases in the genre in recent memory.
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Beatnik is Peter LaBarge, a one-man groove machine, and the mastermind behind the whole musical identity that is Beatnik. ‘Feel Alive’, one of the liveliest and freshest sounds of the whole month, came to be as a result of LaBarge’s existential crisis. As they say, one man’s existential crisis is another man’s gold.
Woozy with its effervescent and colorful pads, the mind-blowingly good bass line, and the uber flamboyant vocal presence, ‘Feel Alive’ is one gratifying layer of sound on top of another, all arranged with a true artist’s sense of purpose and space, and wrapped in an extremely seductive alto saxophone performance that easily makes everything more wonderful. The groove, the vibes, and the dynamic composition all make for a listen that flows with extreme, succulent ease.
Beatnik is inspired by Prince, Daft Punk, and Chic, and listening to ‘Feel Alive’, it is not difficult to see how each influence seeps through to the song. Whether it is the vocal style, lyrics, lush atmospheres, sexy composition, or the cheeky juxtaposition between existential dread and dreamy liveliness, everything on ‘Feel Alive’ does indeed feel alive.