Maya Vik during her performance. Photo: Krystof Diatka

Discofunk proved that the Eighties are not dead yet

People say that bass guitar is not an instrument. It is. Maya Vik proved it at her concert at Alexandraparken.

The Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) winner gave an exquisite performance Saturday night marking the nearing end of Moldejazz. Pure entertainment was dripping from every song. Maya Vik, who used to work as bartender in the nightclubs of Oslo, perhaps uses observations from that line of work and reflects them in her music. Because what the audience at Alexandraparken heard could be an example of a typical club party music. It did not require many deep thoughts and concentration, but on the other hand it provided joy and a good mood boost for the audience. Much appreciated to fight the nostalgia of Moldejazz being over.

The acompanying keyboard seemed to be enjoying the concert more than Maya Vik. Photo: Krystof Diatka
The acompanying keyboard seemed to be enjoying the concert more than Maya Vik. Photo: Krystof Diatka

The fact that Maya Vik, unlike many other pop artists, played an instrument and sang at the same time was refreshing. The image of the base guitar went well with her retro hairstyle and retro music style inspired by Eighties Electropop and Discofunk created not just music pleasant for the ear, but also a picture to please the eye. Overall the concert of Maya Vik proved that the retro magic of the Eighties is not dead yet

I have already claimed that pop music is not my cup of tea, but both pop concerts I reviewed surprised me dearly. Maya Vik even more than Veronica Maggio. There was something about her dancing around the stage slapping the bass guitar, creating significant and audible riffs and singing. It was something I could  relate to more than Veronicca Maggio only singing.

Unfortunately it was clear that Maya Vik does not consume such popularity as the Swedish Italian superstar and that the Jazz Festival is slowly fading away. The turn up at Alexanderaparken this evening was not nearly as large as the one at Romsdal Museum. And Maya Vik was not even called up for an encore.