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TRACK OF THE DAY: Dita Dimone

WHO: The mysteriously eccentric Jonathon Pop Levi, Former member of Ladytron and Super Numeri – and the bastard love child of Viv Stanshall and Serge Gainsbourg.

WHAT: Swaggering psychedelic lothario sleaze funk.

THE HYPE: ‘There are few genuine mavericks in music today, but Pop Levi appears to be one of them’ - Q

WE SAY: If Pop Levi’s debut album The Return To Form Black Magick Party strained with the crazed energy of excess creativity, then his return finds his powers well and truly harnessed like Luke Skywalker’s after he hung out with Yoda on Dagobah for a bit.

Now, things feel immeasurably more assured and accomplished. Ditching the John-Spencer’s-Blues-Explosion-bumming-uppers-off-The-B52s sound, Pop’s loosened off his tie and now wants us to roll around with him on his shag pile. He should have plenty of takers, ‘cos Dita Dimone is a prowling sex panther of a tune. Accessorised with some guitar licks that were rolled on virgins’ thighs and beats that have the sound of feet going up stairs to a bedroom, it’s what it would sound like if Prince covered Talk Talk’s Life’s What You Make It while wearing only leopard-skin pants.

If it turns out that I live in a world where Scouting For Girls can excrete top ten hits and Pop Levi remains in obscurity, then I suspect we may be witnessing the beginning of some kind of Fall Of Rome scenario.

IF YOU ONLY NEED TO KNOW ONE THING: Pop’s forthcoming album Never Never Love was recorded in Hollywood’s Westlake studio, the same place where Jacko recorded Thriller.

WHERE CAN I GET MY HANDS ON IT: Dita Dimone is released on Counter records on July 7.

FIND MORE: www.poplevi.com

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