China Clinic — Yaya Is Fun

Lovers of analog keyboards and other synthetic derivatives, rejoice! This "Yaya Is Fun" can be thought of as an anthology of various synthesizers signed by the two Ramirez brothers and their sidekick Jaime Fuentes: the ARP 2600, the Elka Synthex, the E-Mu Emulator Korg MS-20, the Moog modular synthesizer, the Minimoog, the Roland Jupiter-8, Roland TB-303, Roland V-Synth, and even the hand-held (!) Yamaha SHS-10... – be they analog or digital, all of them are spoken for – the list of technology used could be tedious if China Clinic did not have a genius "pop" flexibility! Because far from being limited to a mindless testimonial of vintage sounds, our three Monterrey synth-addicts seemingly irrigate the waves and oscillations of electronics with remarkable elasticity. Melody and rhythm take precedence over everything else. Without any kind of reverence, the trio (who have an average age of 25) trigger a perversely joyous series of small bombs ("Happy Monsters", "Brush", "Yaya Is Fat", "Just Say Yes !", "Not You Dummy" – you have to catch your breath!) thus dusting the substantial past off the bulky keyboards. Like a less disco-based Daft Punk or perhaps more like Sebastien Tellier on amphetamines, one way or another China Clinic innovate and manage to evoke the ghost of the dashing Papas Fritas with their unripe and acid vocals ("The Neverending Zoo", "Hippopotamus"). The only downside is their preference for the English language as opposed to Spanish which would have given it extra punch. Why the name "China" ? No idea. But the "Clinic" part perfectly suits the trio, as we can imagine the broad smiles on their faces when faced with having to spend days in a padded recording cell. "Yaya Is Fun!"