Babamania - Zero Gravity Disco

Currently, Zero Gravity Disco is Babamania’s newest album. It was released in Fall 2006 and unfortunately since its release, the band has not released anything new. Instead, the three band members have been mostly occupied with producing events and parties.

The album starts off with the introduction Inmigracion, a short and groovy laid back track. It’s mostly instrumental and has a voice speaking Spanish in the background, hinting at an international theme which seems to surface throughout the whole album. Aero Audio, the first real song of the album, immediately shakes the listener awake and gives a good summary of Babamania’s style: upbeat pop-rock songs combined with rap and a little hip-hop, and in this case they have even added a bit of ska to the merry mix.

Next up are Bellbottom Sandwich and M.V.P., which both have a very pop feeling to them. Moderately paced and less brisk than the previous track, they give female vocalist Mari and rapper Genki a better chance to show their vocal qualities. The majority of the lyrics are in English and are pronounced perfectly, which is most likely thanks to the time the members spent in the USA.

Whereas Mari took care of the vocals in the first few tracks and Genki just rapped now and then, there are also a number of Genki-centred songs on the album and Indianapolis is one of them. It has a totally different feeling from the previous tracks and is a little quirky, with the vocals rapped in very short and quick syllables, giving it a very nice rhythmic effect. Instead of an electric or digital bass, the band went for an acoustic bass this time, which results in a very groovy feeling. During the bridge, the song changes completely as a few horns joins in, adding a short jazz-like piece to the song. A similar song is Cisco A Go-GO, with Genki rapping and singing most of the vocals and a horn section adding some spice.

The album contains a total of four interludes, which are four short tracks. All lasting about a minute, Discojack, Discogeek and Discoache seem to be a small series of remixed, mostly instrumental tunes with electronic beats and effects. Radio Baba, on the other hand, is more like an MC, in which a man with an American accent announces the band. Though these short tracks break the usual pattern of song after song and must have been fun to create for the band members, they don’t really add anything extra to the album.

The rock side of Babamania can be found in the song Born Subcultural, with distorted guitars, a steady drumbeat and Mari’s vocals producing a slightly angry sound. After this heavy sound, the listener is launched into Chiisana Uta, which is probably the softest song of the album, somehow providing a bit of a breather after all the upbeat tracks. It's definitely not a ballad, and the moderately paced rock song has little to no electronic effects added. It’s probably because of the fact that the song is not very complex but is very easy-going, that makes it a great song and very enjoyable to listen to.

Having a techno-like beat, Graffiti Wall gives off entirely different vibes. The rhythm stomps and pounds, and Genki’s rapping works with it perfectly, making the track great for clubbing. Surprisingly, the band has managed to combine it with some rock, alternating between the pounding techno beat and electric guitars with a normal drumbeat.

Tequila Sunset is edging towards rock again, and also has some ska rhythm added to the rapped verses. In typical ska fashion, but this time sounding extra Spanish because of the Tequila they are singing about, a horn section is featured in the song, giving it a very nice extra touch.

After the song Japanese are my Friends, which features a laid back beat and Genki rapping, the album ends with Emigracion. It’s another short instrumental track but totally different to the interludes as it’s much calmer, and instead of fast beats with various electronic sounds, it seems to be a small composition of remixed guitar sounds.

It seems a pity that after Zero Gravity Disco, Babamania has taken a break from releasing any new material because the album shows very well what they’re capable of. Being masters in mixing various styles together and creating some really catchy songs, the album should appeal to fans of many genres, and is definitely worth checking out!