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1/03/2016

Okinawa Lifestyle – Underwater (2011)




  • Chillwave
  • Electro-indie
  • Alternative dance
  • Shoegazetronica
  • Alternative pop
  • Indie pop
  • Glo-fi
  • Indie dance
  • Synth funk
  • Mood music
  • Chilltronica


Comment: I could remember for that I was quite surprised many years ago by the fact of Okinawa Lifestyle coming out of Tbilisi, Georgia which was then for not being an ordinary place for emerging modern pop/indie bands and got recognized worldwide. Although the duo of was not the first echelon of the so-called chillwave movement they got enough positive feedback being played at lastfm by many listeners weekly. Indeed, the movement was established on the elements of indie/dream pop, house, funk, and alternative dance music though music groups which used to blossom with the compartment used to differ on the nexus of being either more dance-appealed or immersed in to conjure up hazy, thoroughly picturesque sonorous landscapes (for instance, Memoryhouse). I have heard even such a theory that it was grown out of the elements of mainstream music to encapsulate for further development and then arrive at the mainstream level again. It might be true by the latter point ( I can`t agree with the mainstream reference) if to consider that such bands as Toro Y Moi, Neon Indian, Washed Out, Memoryhouse, Youth Lagoon, Ducktails, Tycho, Teen Daze gathered popularity and even contracts by well-known indie labels. Of course, the starting point was boosted by the activists within blogspots and wordpress and there were at least a couple of great imprints for to push newborn groups forward (Arcade Sounds, and Beko DSL). However, the duo of David Datunashvili Gigi Jikia has released a bunch of issues during the two years of which Underwater is their last output. Similarly to their previous issues their sound used to straddle either on body-provoking funk, eelctro and house touched frequencies or searching for more spacey corners to set down. Emotionally it is movable and aesthetically it is interesting to listen to, either being immersed in nostalgic insight or without to be. However, there is one exception either. Green Wand of which is set apart thanks to majestic shoegazer pointed guitars and slightly jagged drums beside them. All these compositions have been drawn out in the way to denote them as leading-edge. For instance, one must listen to Girls Annoy Boys (feat. Alie Lavoie). It is fairly bewildering indeed. By my opinion, Okinawa Lifestyle should have deserved a patch within the first chillwave echelon.