Gavin Turek’s dreamlike new EP ‘Good Look for You’ is twenty-one minutes of luscious, dancey disco fit for the twenty-first century. The songs are musical escapism at its finest, plunging listeners into a fantasy drenched in passion and movement, a world where the only pain is heartbreak and the only challenge is growing older. Bubbly synths, soulful vocals, and funky basslines make ‘Good Look for You’ an addictive pleasure that stands out from its electro-pop contemporaries as something both decidedly fresh and deliciously retro, gently bringing the spirit of Studio 54 brought to life for a new generation of dreamers, dancers, and lovers.

A Los Angeles native, Gavin Turek first discovered her passion for disco while studying dance in Ghana. While in Ghana, she also fell in love with fringe (fringe belts are the traditional costumes of dancers from the northern region of the country, who wear the garments to accentuate their movements). Turek obsessively studied the music of Donna Summer, Prince, and Giorgio Moroder while she was growing up, and the influence of these prolific artists is evident in her music today. Ghana has also remained a tangible part of Turek’s music: hand-made fringe dresses are a hallmark of Turek’s electric live performances.

Gavin Turek’s performance is a physical extension of the music that raises the stakes of her EP. A natural dancer, Turek’s movements add a sense of complexity to ‘Good Look for You’ that is otherwise absent, just as a movie without images is only half the story. She reminds us that disco is a visual genre, as tied to the dance floor as it is to the sound. Disco is not just mental escapism, but physical – freed from the constructs of the real world, it begs us to let loose and allow our bodies to do the talking. While performing, Turek’s movements are sensual and fluid, inviting the listener to hear beyond her lyrics and listen to the story of her body. Whether you are listening in your bedroom or in a ballroom, your own body will want to answer her call through dance.

“Off-stage I’m kind of self-conscious,” Turek told Crave back in January 2017. “But when I get on-stage, I try to get out of my own head. I love looking into the crowd and making eye contact with people who aren’t dancing. It becomes like a challenge. I want them to engage, have fun and just dance.” It is this attitude, which permeates the EP, that makes ‘Good Look for You’ so infectious – no matter your hesitancy, the music will empower you to feel free, limitless, and uninhibited by fear or reality. This sense of weightless purpose is exactly why people loved disco so much in our communal yesteryear. It’s about time that disco entered the 2010’s – after all, we need it now more than ever.

Stream ‘Good Look for You – EP’ on Spotify.

Words by Megan.