Larytta is a project created by Swiss producers Guy Meldem and Christian Pahud, also known for his role in from rock act Honey for Petzi, and is out on Lausanne based Creaked Records. Difficult Fun is a diverse collection of sounds, beats and samples fused together by an electro pop aesthetic and bursting at the seams with bouncy, well rounded, good natured tunes.
Difficult Fun is an album that transcends labels, it features a rich and diverse selection of tunes that draw on from a rich palette of influences. While Larytta’s production is reminiscent of the production values of artists like Luke Vibert and Atom Heart it transcends the often antiseptic production values of such artists with warmer lyrics and more dance floor friendly interludes.
“The Money” stands out for its southern blues samples, dry lyrical style and ponderous but infectious percussion, while ”Spoiled Kids’ is a alterna-electro pop tune that should be a floor filler at any self respecting art school disco. Songs like Love Love Odyssey and Filthy Jim are an electro pop nod in the direction of the Beatles as they fuse a harmonic pop sensibility with squidgy electro and psychedelic production. In an another direction altogether, tracks such as Tous Mes Amis stand out with a fusion of African vocals and pop compositions that brings to mind Paul Simon’s excursions with Ladysmith Black Mombasa married with some driving kick drums and some lo fidelity clips and bleeps to round out the track.
While the tunes on Difficult Fun may draw on a varied range of styles and influences, overall the album has a cohesion, originality and catchy style that make it a consistently entertaining and compelling release that is well worth a listen.
Gordon Finlayson
