JOHAN AGEBJÖRN

Casablanca Nights

johanagebjorn.info

To outsiders, the world of European dance music can seem strange and forbidding. There are flashing lights and fashions to consider, and the music breaks down into subgenres—Italo Disco, Eurobeat, Hi-NRG, etc.—distinguishable only to the indoctrinated. Johan Agebjörn is an insider, but on his first solo album of what he simply terms “disco,” the Swedish producer aims for inclusiveness. Synth-pop standout “The Last Day of Summer” recalls Controversy-era Prince, while “Alice” and the title track revive the accessible bounce of Erasure and Pet Shop Boys. “We’re dancing through the night/That’s what spacers do,” guest vocalist Sally Shapiro sings on “Spacer Woman From Mars,” a dispatch from a surprisingly hospitable planet.