At this point Quincy Jones has got to know the depth of his international influence, but he would still probably be touched to hear how deeply a South Korean act in 2013 is channeling his iconic sound.
"I Wanna Dance," the new Japanese single from Donghae and Eunhyuk from the K-pop boy band Super Junior is an homage to the most successful producer of all-time, and a highly danceable one at that.
The trademark Quincy circular African grooves, the propulsive synth bass, the sharp horn blasts are all here.
Even Jones's involvement with the first wave of hip hop artists like Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane is represented in the production on I Wanna Dance," particularly in the vintage 1980s drum machine sound achieved on the track.
And like any good Quincy Jones dance track, "I Wanna Dance" is a whole bunch of fun to listen to.
In this modern day era of digital pop, many laptop dance music producers haven't just forgotten the groove (a common 1990s criticism of techno) they've forgotten how to have fun.
"I Wanna Dance" delivers on both counts, driving listeners onto the dance floor with hooky vocals and high-octane rapping.
Like Quincy Jones's classic work with Michael Jackson, "I Wanna Dance" also blends live instruments, including an in-the-pocket Nile Rodgers-influenced guitar part, with computerized sounds like synthesizers and drum loops.
The resulting track is difficult to resist; when Donghae and Eunhyuk say they want to dance, it's difficult to disagree.
The video for "I Wanna Dance" is pitch perfect.
Alternating between dance sequences that appear to be influenced by the confrontational choreography of MJ's "Bad" music video and retro scenes of Donghae and Eunhyuk in a 1980s-style retro apartment, complete with rotary phones, the director dials in the era with precision.
Even the giant piano patterns in the backdrops in the video were a ubiquitous part of 1980s American pop culture that anyone who lived through the era will recall. Remember the piano key necktie?
It's exciting to see a retro homage done so well.
And although "I Wanna Dance" is currently slated for release in Japan, Donghae and Eunhyuk would be wise to put the single out worldwide.
As George Clinton once sang, "one nation under a groove."
Check out the music video for the new single "I Wanna Dance" by Donghae and Eunhyuk of Super Junior RIGHT HERE..
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