Some 30 years ago Andrew Meecham was in a band called Bizarre Inc., with another fellow named Dean Meredith. Together they scored massive, chart topping hits with rave favourites I`m Gonna Get You and Playing With Knives. They both still make music. Dean mainly as Mind Fair – with a bit of moonlighting as T-Kutt – and Andy as Emperor Machine. Dean is also co-founder of the Rotation Soundsystem who for over a decade now have been hosting a hugely successful annual summer garden party. Emperor Machine’s 9th album, Island Boogie, draws on that party as its primary source of inspiration. Music made with an ear on its eclectic audiophile vibe. “Feel-good”, here, is very much to the fore.

Cutting a rug right from start, the opening title track has wah-wah guitar bumping up against buoyant bleeps. Like the BBC Radiophonic Workshop doing jazz fusion. Something so slick it could pass for Steely Dan. While sung in French, by Séverine Mouletin, the number feels kinda Italian. I was getting flashbacks to Tony Esposito’s L’eroe di Plastica and Nu Genea’s novo Neapolitan funk. There’s also a big Brazilian influence, echoes of Marcos Valle and Azymuth. Cuicas in full, squeaking, effect.

Séverine fronts several of the songs. On Dévoilez-Vous, which was recently remixed for a 12, she scats, surrounded by bright synths, burps of electronic bass, and Peech Boys / Paradise Garage handclaps. Wanna Pop With You sounds like Rick James (baby) jamming with The Bush Tetras. A disco-not-disco homage to late `70s / early `80s New York’s high and low art melting pot. Vas-y Le Chat is squishy and squelchy, with all kinds of keys coming from buzzing and fizzing vintage machines, and since it’s in French, in places, it summons Stereolab at La Discoteque. La Cassette is proper, high quality, catchy pop.

Michelle Bee does a brilliant cover of Australian band Fox’s `70s hit, S-S-S Single Bed. The OG was pretty barmy, but Michelle beautifully out does it. Breathless, and sexy, seductive, with a cute lispy delivery that’s part Eartha Kitt purr and Lena Lovitch operatics. There are also a couple more  instrumentals. The slow, chugging, Walk The Dog is characterised by cosmic Stylophone-like solos. The closing Cha Murrah Etem is another slower piece. Percussively evolving from birdsong, congas and cowbell into a spaced out, spirit-lifting epic, it’s the sort of thing that David Mancuso might have championed at his Loft for “re-entry”. Super suited to sunset, sunrise, or an end of the night moment, there’s a little of Cloud One’s Patty Duke in its groove, and a little of Donna Summer’s State Of Independence in its piano melody.

I was wondering if the “Island” in Andy’s album’s title might be a sly reference to Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, `cos he’s got the sound of Chris’ in-house band, The Compass Point All-Stars, down pat. Most of the 8 tracks nod toward their “new wave funk”, and feature “pull up to the bumper”-esque breakdowns, a Sly Dunbar syn-drum sound, and a touch of Will Powers’ Adventures In Success. All totally in tune with the LP’s tropical tone. It’s a perfectly timed summer release.

Emperor Machine’s Island Boogie can be pre-ordered from Leng.

The album will be released on July 19th, the same day as the start of this year’s Rotation Sound System Garden Party. You can purchase tickets here.