Dexter Wansel – Life On Mars

Dexter Wansel's Life On Mars arrived in 1976 as his debut album and opened a more synthesized, space-minded corner of the Philadelphia soul tradition. Inspired by David Bowie's "Life on Mars?", Wansel built the record around his ARP 2600, shaping a sound of oscillating synth lines, deep cosmic bass tones and sleek jazz-funk textures that still feels distinctive.

That futuristic concept never comes at the expense of songwriting. Wansel produced the album himself and wrote or co-wrote all of its material, moving easily between the haunted title track, the mellow pull of "Together Once Again" and "One Million Miles from the Ground," and the tighter funk drive of "You Can Be What You Wanna Be." AllMusic notes how broad the set is, while still holding together as a memorable debut.

Life On Mars also carries a long afterlife beyond its original release. Wansel was already a key figure in the wider Philly scene through work with artists including MFSB, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass and The Jones Girls, and this album became one of the clearest statements of his own style. The opening break from "Theme From the Planets" is widely cited as an early hip-hop foundation beat, and Wansel's catalogue has since been sampled by artists including Kanye West, Drake and J. Cole.

Features

• 180g, Music On Vinyl, Black Vinyl

Reviews

• Ranging from decent to excellent, Life on Mars is arguably Wansel's strongest album. - AllMusic.com