Back in the day we had serendipity. Now we have streaming services and "the algorithm". Which may have taken the chance out of chance musical encounters, but the sheer delight of discovering something new remains the same. And the more unlikely, unusual and obscure, well, all the better. So it is with Satellite Lovers, whose album "Sons of 1973" popped out of the blue and onto my screen.
Shared to Youtube just three months ago by a channel called Almeda, which has only 14,000 followers, "Sons of 1973" has already racked up a staggering 2.1 million views. Click the video link below and within a few seconds you'll understand why.
The title should give a clue: Think Al Green and Curtis Mayfield, think Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On". Think that heady early 70s period when the heavy soul that was filling northern soul dance floors was morphing into jazz funk and mining a whole new seam of breezy, breathy danceability. The same period raided for cool by later acts such as Paul Weller's Style Council and other left field soul acts in the mid 80s - albeit it must be said, far less spectacularly. Except that "Sons of 1973", dates from 1994, and was released only in Japan.
That on account of Satellite Lovers being a Japanese trio, who a bit of digging on the Internet tells me were either influenced by, or minor players in Japan's Shibuya-kei, free soul / rare groove / acid house club scene that was popular at the time. Initially a six piece led by female guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Mica (or Mika?) Ikeuchi, by the time of "Sons of 1973", (their second album), they'd slimmed to a trio featuring Hiroyuki Suzuki (guitar) and Yutaka Nakano (guitar and bass).
The group reportedly took their name from Lou Reed's Satellite of Love, and during the little over two years they existed released only three albums a single and a final 5 track EP. Then they disappeared almost without trace. Until three months ago when Almeda shared all three albums to Youtube, of which "Sons of 1973" has created by far the biggest stir. Understandably so. From the opening Hammond organ swirl and throbbing bass of first track, "Best Friend" it's clear this is something very special.
The deliciously uplifting vibe continues through second track,'Continuation of Summer', (according to Google Translate) and third track 'How Much I Love You, Baby', before slowing the tempo on 'Sunnyday Holiday' before veering into a late 60s folk rock vibe. Their other two albums are both interesting too. but the first, 'Music', recorded as a six piece, is more pop oriented but with significant flashes of the jazzy soul that infuses its follow up, as well as a laid back, funky cover of Hendrix' Crosstown Traffic.
Inexplicably for their third outing - Sons of 1997 (released in 1996) Satellite Lovers had all but given up on the jazzy groove for a mix of heavy indie, pop and rap.
Only the final track 'Living Night Together' has the same jazzy feel, albeit topped with a rap style vocal.
The group's final outing the five track EP "BKLN" is bland in the extreme and best ignored. A last stab at achieving commercial success before abandoning music and all but disappearing perhaps. And disappear they did. Ikeuchi, who had reportedly never given up her full time career at ad agency, also reportedly, married the photographer who shot the cover photos for their three albums, and settled down. Of her two collaborators, Hiroyuki Suzuki and Yutaka Nakano, Google throws up both names in multiple guises. Are any of them the same people? To date the algorithm is silent.
As to why the trio gave up after recording such an infectious and memorable album? Apparently it was simply disillusionment. Sons of 1973 simply didn't create enough of a stir at the time for them to make a living from the music. Given the recent sudden explosion of interest, you wouldn't want to bet on that continuing indefinitely. Or against it sparking a wave of interest in Shibuya-kei. I certainly know what I'm going to digging into for the forseeable.
Essential Information
[Cobbled together from the little information available in the comments under the YT videos, blogs and a reddit discussion. Apologies for any inaccuracies. And if you're a former member of Satellite Lovers, please get in touch we'd really love to hear from you.]