So it would appear Boddika and Joy Orbison are back after a 2 year hiatus. Admittedly it feels rather odd writing about these two considering that 2-3 years ago even a sniff of a new SunkLo release resulted in a social media meltdown bordering on the nuclear, where as now a similar level of hysteria seems unlikely. As any successful artist or band will tell you (post the event) if you’re lucky enough there is a moment in your career were you seem to have an unparalleled level of popularity that feels as though it will never end, and then suddenly like a thief in the night its gone – usually around the 3-4 year mark. It is at this point that you discover whether what you’ve been creating has substantial legacy or is as plastic as a ‘Barbie Girl in a Barbie World’…So where does ‘Severed Seven’ find Boddika & Joy Orbison?
Well first things first the dance/club scene in the most part has a slightly different set of rules to the more traditional band/pop arena where artists live or die by the success or failure of their albums. For a predominantly club based producer LP’s are not so much of a necessity and therefore they are spared the inevitable scrutiny that comes with this format. This can obviously be an advantage as the expectation on you is much lower, yet the downside of not releasing a defining LP is that it’s much harder to create yourself a sustainable legacy that will carry you through your winter years, particularly if you don’t capitalise on your popularity during the 3-4 year purple patch – assuming you’ve had one. So if a club artist generally doesn’t release LP’s can they really build and sustain a career that progresses from years into decades? A challenge that potentially faces both these and many artists like them…
In short no, at least that would be our assessment. In order to build a long-lasting legacy such as Carl Cox, Sasha, Tiesto, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos to a lesser extent Erol Alkan, Stanton Warriors, Skream et al there has to be more than just a sequence of biodegradable club tracks, by which we mean tracks that are good in the moment but overtime degrade and ultimately disappear from the record box in the long-run. ‘Severed Seven’ is one such track, a bonafide club heater right now, something we would for sure put in our record box and given the opportunity pull out to undoubtedly devastating affect, yet in ten years, if we’re still writing about music, it’s unlikely to make every bloggers obligatory ‘Best Club Tracks of all Time’ post. This is not a criticism, rather an observation, and we’re also not suggesting that everything written should have legacy in mind, music can be just as important in the moment as certain tracks are in 10 years time. So whats my point?…
Well going back to my first question – Where does ‘Severed Seven’ find Boddika & Joy Orbison? My answer would be – In a tricky position. They’re undoubtedly talented producers who know how to construct a compelling club track, ‘Severed Seven’ being another fine example, however scene’s evolve, fans get proper jobs, fresh young talent will emerge, all of which will eventually render the legacy lacking club producer obsolete. It sounds harsh but you only have to dig up a festival line up from 5 years ago to see how many artists have dropped down the bill or have disappeared completely. We should just say that we’re not suggesting Boddika & Joy Orbison are on their last legs, far from it, its just that the reduced level of hype got us thinking about this subject in greater detail.
Its a tricky conundrum especially if writing and sharing music is your core passion in life, the question for all producers has to be; How can I survive the iceberg of time that’s threatening to sink me like the Titanic? Well our opinion is there are three things all artists could consider: 1) Hubris – Unlike the Captain of the Titanic recognise that you’re sinkable 2) Have a plan – It may not sound artistic, free or particularly cool but Daft Punk had one – watch their documentary 3) Excellence – be it an interview, DJ performance, mixtape, live show or release ensure you consistently bring your best.
Boddika & Joy Orbison – Severed Seven