Premium Content:

Felix Da Housecat – Virgo Blaktro & the Movie Disco

Felix Stallings is not alone in the electronic music circles of Detroit and Chicago in being rather partial to a pseudonym, but unlike his peers in the rather sober Underground Resistance circles, Felix (or as he’s most popularly known, Felix Da Housecat) has always been quite partial to a more cartoonish, light-hearted dancefloor vision. Here, Stallings adopts the persona of Virgo Blacktro, an electronic entertainer plotted in the mould of Prince, Sly And The Family Stone, and perhaps rather less predictably, George Michael and the Pet Shop Boys – electro in spirit, yes, but with a vocal presence and production gloss that places Felix more in step with modern disco revivalists like Armand Van Helden, Alan Braxe, or Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter than any slamming techno idiom. Many of the tracks here are compacted and quite short, giving Virgo Blacktro the quick, skippy feeling of a neatly-selected mixtape rather than an artist album that rather outstays its welcome. There is space for one epic, though, in the shape of Tweak a five-minute disco stomp that builds to a thumping climax, like Josh Wink’s Higher State Of Consciousness recreated on the disco floor with a synth that squeaks like a deflating balloon. Going on this, one suspects the name Virgo Blacktro is one you’ll hear again and again.

Latest

Review | ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ has a timely message about discrimination

Amanda Seyfried gives a career best performance in this stylised semi-musical about the founding of the Shaker religious movement.

On This Gay Day | In 1983 playwright and author Tennessee Williams died

He's remembered as one of the most important playwrights of the 20th century.

ABC’s ‘The Matter of Facts’ explores an era of trolls and disinformation

"How do we function as society if we can't agree on facts?"

Cowboys songs – who did it best?

Madonna, Kylie, Jessie Ware and Beyonce have all created cowboy themed tunes, but who did it best?

Newsletter

Don't miss

Review | ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ has a timely message about discrimination

Amanda Seyfried gives a career best performance in this stylised semi-musical about the founding of the Shaker religious movement.

On This Gay Day | In 1983 playwright and author Tennessee Williams died

He's remembered as one of the most important playwrights of the 20th century.

ABC’s ‘The Matter of Facts’ explores an era of trolls and disinformation

"How do we function as society if we can't agree on facts?"

Cowboys songs – who did it best?

Madonna, Kylie, Jessie Ware and Beyonce have all created cowboy themed tunes, but who did it best?

Eurovision check-in: Lots of countries reveal their songs

Austria, the UK, Belgium, Croatia and Greece have all made announcements about artists and songs for 2025.

Review | ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ has a timely message about discrimination

Amanda Seyfried gives a career best performance in this stylised semi-musical about the founding of the Shaker religious movement.

On This Gay Day | In 1983 playwright and author Tennessee Williams died

He's remembered as one of the most important playwrights of the 20th century.

ABC’s ‘The Matter of Facts’ explores an era of trolls and disinformation

"How do we function as society if we can't agree on facts?"