B-Side Guys

In the ever-expanding canon of instrumental music that makes you wish you owned better clothes, Romantic Dividends’ “Claudja” arrives like a timestamp from an alternate 1979 where Studio 54 opened a secret underground branch in Montmartre. Los Angeles composers Allen Blickle and Josh Wiener have created something that feels both historically informed and deliciously anachronistic.

The track captures that specific midnight moment when funk transitions into disco – when the sweat starts to feel more like glitter and every bassline carries the promise of romance. But rather than simply recreating the sound of a particular era, Romantic Dividends use vintage textures as raw materials for something more cinematically ambitious.

This “cinematic soul experiment” succeeds largely because of its attention to detail. The production maintains the warmth of analog recording while incorporating modern techniques that give each element room to breathe. It’s as if someone discovered a lost European film score and decided to remix it using equipment from both 1978 and 2024.

The orchestral arrangements deserve special attention, weaving through the funk foundation like silk through leather. There’s a sophistication to the string work that elevates “Claudja” beyond simple pastiche, suggesting late-night conversations about Serge Gainsbourg over cigarettes and expensive wine.

Without vocals to guide the narrative, Blickle and Wiener rely on pure musicality to tell their story. The hypnotic rhythms create a sense of forward motion while leaving space for listeners to insert their own plot points. It’s the kind of track that could score either a high-speed chase through Paris backstreets or a slow-motion scene of lovers meeting across a crowded room.

The retro-futurist approach feels particularly apt given our current cultural moment’s obsession with both nostalgia and innovation. “Claudja” manages to sound both vintage and volatile, like discovering your parents’ vinyl collection only to realize the records contain music from next year.

As dance music continues its endless cycle of revival and reinvention, Romantic Dividends have found their own distinct corner of the discotheque. Their approach to composition suggests countless hours studying European film scores, but their execution feels playful rather than academic.

This is music that understands the difference between recreation and reanimation. Rather than simply mimicking the sound of French funk and disco, “Claudja” captures the feeling of discovery that made those genres so exciting in the first place. It’s a love letter to an era that maintains its own distinct personality.

What emerges is something that operates on multiple levels – as dance music, as film score, as cultural commentary. “Claudja” proves that sometimes the best way to honor your influences is to imagine what they might sound like in a future they never got to see.