Tiga - No Fantasy Required

Tiga
No Fantasy Required
2016
Spotify

In a way No Fantasy Required the third album from Montreal producer Tiga. Tiga has always been a pioneer in the electropop scene and this record is no different though he may fall more into the nu-disco scene more than anything else. The deep house elements are there especially on tracks like "Make Me Fall In Love" where he sticks with getting the beat on to the floor and getting people moving. Tiga has never been one to follow the trends in EDM but on this record he does pull some influences from the biggest DJs but always with a nod to the Indie. Many of the tracks have a bit of a muddled feel with backing tracks consisting of a multitude of sounds creating a down and dirty sound. Tiga uses his electronic instruments in more of an analogue way allowing them to sound odd or not quite fit all the time. This adds a sense of mystery to tracks where you aren't totally sure where the next movement is going. No Fantasy Required is the third and final record that is following Tiga's idea of refined hedonism. You get this concept when it comes to Tiga's one liners and half singing on tracks. The lines are typical when it comes to electronic music; love and dancing but they are surrounded by a sound that is quite different from the big room EDM you are used to hearing.

Tiga is clearly better when He has some help. His singing is mediocre at best so when He brings in a feature like Jake Shears the songs improve vastly. It is clear that Tiga is better at getting in to a deep groove and letting that run than he is at making some kind of pop. That is where some confusion arises in this album. It seems like when Tiga is doing something He is really good at the album really works, but when He tries to step out of that realm he runs into some issues. The music just is not bright enough to be electropop. When Tiga realizes this he makes his best music like the movement from "Always" to "Bugatti". There is always a thin veil of vapidness to Tiga's music which is completely intentional that make the songs seem like they are just soulless dance tracks, but scratch the surface just a bit and you can see that there is quite a bit more going on. Tiga is certainly one of those artists that really need a set and setting, this is not spur of the moment "Let's throw on some Tiga" type of music. No Fantasy Required is not the best album, but it has some elements that are worth checking out and listening to again.

6.6 out of 10