Divine Operating System

Supreme Beings Of Leisure

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 10, 2002)
• Original Release Date: September 10, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palm Pictures (Audio
• ASIN: B00006IZNF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,992 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Heavy with lounge atmosphere, but still only subtle tweaks away from dance floor nirvana, Supreme Beings of Leisure's sophomore effort has it both ways, laying down smart rhythms in a record that grooves slow and steady like a spy on a stakeout. Less self-consciously multicultural, Divine Operating System is more sure-footed than their self-titled debut, which too often sounded like Morcheeba lite. SBOL's members are a diverse group, with members hailing from Japan, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Iran, and elsewhere, but their debut was so smooth and so familiar, it didn't sound as authentic as it should have. Divine has a not entirely original feel to it as well, given the deluge of Latin and lounge-flavored dance records that have come along since downtempo took off in the late '90s. Still, while not terribly innovative, tracks like "Divine" and "Touch Me" have a fitting R&B aesthetic and a genuine thump. The Eastern-inspired touches that made their debut such a smooth collection surface occasionally, giving slower tracks like "Rock and a Hard Place" a higher bliss quotient. But another record's worth of practice has yielded more authoritative songs, and while it doesn't have a "Strangelove Addiction" on it, the agreeably narcotic effect of the music here withstands repeated listening quite nicely. --Matthew Cooke

From URB Magazine
The Supreme Beings of Leisure's sophomore effort starts out sounding like an ultra-chic doppelganger to the Spice Girls. But once the first two tracks have plodded away to their respective holes in the ground, "Catch Me" streaks from the gate, an expansive wash reminiscent of early James Bond film themes — slinky and seductive, mixing happy pills with martinis. Close on its heels is "Get Away," an enthusiastic pumper reminiscent of the Propellerheads.

Since the sleeper success of their eponymous debut, the organic elements of the band (guitarist Rick Torres and bassist Kiran Shahani) are no longer. In the wake of their exodus, the remaining members (multi-instrumentalist Ramin Sakurai and the silver-voiced Geri Soriano) have recruited a host of blue ribbon-winning collaborators. For only $15.99 (suggested retail price), you can enjoy the stylings of Beck's wax mechanic DJ Swamp, Dust Brothers' bassist Sheldon Strickland and engineer Jimi Randolph, who's helped funk up Al Green and Earth, Wind & Fire records. Predominately shimmering and languid, at its raciest Divine Operating System achieves a poppy, disco canter that trades ass-slapping soul for sleek sensuality — think Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" copulating with Portishead to produce a lovechild more at home in Los Angeles' Skybar than Club 54. At times it sprints and at times it slides, but always with a colorful, cosmopolitan athleticism that lends itself equally to cocktail hour on the Concord and Zen retreats on Mars.

Mark von Pfeiffer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SBOL--back to the future!, September 18, 2002

By	J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Although there are a few personnel changes, this second SBOL album smoothly builds upon their debut. I've never heard of this group being compared to Pizzicato Five, but on a number of the tracks SBOL shows a similar knack for fusing retro-pop musical elements with contemporary production (samples, MIDI programming, turntables, etc.). On several cuts the resemblance to P5 is too close to call (that is, until vocalist Geri Soriano-Lightwood begins singing).

I don't want to make too much of the P5/SBOL comparison though, because for the most part SBOL twists pop's past and present into a distinctive, fluid style of their own. At times the music is aligned with such recent musical trends such as trip-hop (e.g., SO MUCH MORE). Yet there are a lot of fresh nods to 1970s funk and r&b, from vocoder vocals to wah-wah guitars, cool string arrangements, and rhythms that at times find a middle-ground between funk and disco (e.g., DIVINE, TOUCH ME). If you are the type who likes to dissect lyrics, probably SBOL is going leave a little bit to be desired, even if the words are hardly lightweight (e.g. GHETTO). Even so, the focus is on song structures rather than extended grooves, being that most of the tracks clock in at around 4 minutes. Perhaps the key to SBOL's distinctiveness is the balance between the often witty arrangements and Geri's smooth, soulful vocals. The results show that the group doesn't take itself too seriously, but not too lightly either.

Recommended if you liked the first album, and also if you want to hear well-sung, smooth-grooving music that creatively bridges 1970s r&b/soul/funk with today's production techniques. Perhaps my strongest endorsement is that I've had the CD for 5 days and played it at least that many times, with no signs that I'm going to let up anytime soon!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Supreme Beings of Leisure Album Is Worth All The Hype, September 19, 2002

By	the enlightened one (under the tree of enlightenment) - See all my reviews

Although the Supreme Beings of Leisure have been trimmed down to a two-person band (Lead singer Geri Soriano-Lightwood and Ramin Sakurai), their sound has not gotten any smaller. The duo's second album, 'Divine Operating System', is far more daring than the original, with blaring trumpets, bolder vocals, and a fully developed, almost epic sound to it. Some songs even use a full-piece orchestra.

One thing I love about Supreme Beings of Leisure is that although their music always encompasses a vast range of styles, the albums they put together always have flow and continuity. The group can go from Downtempo to Trip-Hop to IDM and bring it all together logically. The best tracks in my opinion are almost entirely in the beginning half of the album: 'Give Up', 'Catch Me', and 'Get Away'. 'Give Up' and 'Get Away' lend a very energetic and upbeat intro to the CD, while 'Catch Me' has more of a relaxed, cool, and loungey feel to it. Many songs in the end half are style-listically meant for the dance floor, but are also very good. You can catch some faint traces of Disco and House music with tracks like 'Touch Me' and 'Perfect'.

>> 4 stars for another sleek, sexy, and classy winner. The first album is in many ways stronger, but that's not to say that there aren't at least a few gems on this one.

- the enlightened one

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funky Set, April 5, 2003

By	J. M. Zuurbier (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Supreme Beings of Leisure's second album DIVINE OPERATING SYSTEM is one of my favorite house/funk sets from 2002. It opens up with the club ready "Give Up", and the party keeps going until the album is done, making you wish for more. Supreme Beings of Leisure is comprised of Geri Soriana-Lightwood, who provides wonderful vocals, and Ramin Sakurai, who provides music and programming. Aamin Sakurai plays various instruments over the album. The sound is a hybrid of disco, funk, house, R&B, and more. If you enjoyed their first album, you will enjoy this one, and you will enjoy this album if you like this type of music. Well sung vocals over all tracks, with mesmerizing beats and textures in each song. Set highlights include "Ghetto", "Freezer", "Perfect", "Divine", "Touch Me" and "Get Away". An enjoyable music experience. Check it out.