Gorillaz - Gorillaz

The album Gorillaz is constructed like a giant puzzle where each piece is a foreign voice. From the very first second, the record refuses to be confined within a single identity: it is not the work of a static virtual group, but rather that of an assembly machine for disparate timbres.

Re-Hash: The Japanese Electronic Opening

The opening track, Re-Hash, is not merely an introduction; it is a sonic map. It opens with Miho Hatori's singing, whose soft and airy voice immediately anchors the record in a Japanese context. This presence is not decorative: it sets the tone for the whole by introducing an electronic and pop sensibility that contrasts with the rougher or more organic textures of the following tracks.

The Eclecticism of Musical Genres

The record refuses simple categorization. Each track becomes a laboratory where a genre is tested, deconstructed, then reassembled with elements borrowed from elsewhere. It is in this way that Rock the House can coexist with Slow Country, two tracks that have nothing in common except their belonging to the same sonic fresco.

International Collaborations

When you look more closely at the features, it becomes clear they aren't there to fill a quota: they serve to expand the group's reach of influence. Del The Funky Homosapien appears on two distinct tracks: Clint Eastwood and Rock the House. Ibrahim Ferrer, for his part, contributes to Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) by injecting a Cuban and Latin American color that further widens the geographical scope of the album. Each guest is therefore a link in a chain connecting Japan, Cuba, the United States, and the United Kingdom without ever erasing local specificities.

Varied production between London and Jamaica

That's why Double Bass can seem so organic, while Starshine retains its own synthetic coldness.

Closing with 19-2000 - Soulchild Remix

This dual geographical base explains the constant tension between British electronic textures and more organic or reggae influences that permeate several tracks. With 17 tracks and a total runtime of about an hour, it constitutes the studio album for the project launched in 1998. It has sold over seven million copies and inscribed the group in the Guinness World Records as the most-performing virtual band. This success opened the way to an extensive discography: Demon Days (2005), The Fall (2010), Humanz (2017), The Now (2018), Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020), Cracker Island (2023) and The Mountain (2026). The six confirmed features on the 17 tracks are not merely decorative appearances. Del The Funky Homosapien, Miho Hatori, Tina Weymouth, Ibrahim Ferrer and Sweetie Irie form a network that links Japan, Cuba, the United States and Europe. Each guest brings their own color: Miho Hatori's airy voice on Re-Hash and 19-2000, Del The Funky Homosapien's hip-hop flow on two distinct tracks, Ibrahim Ferrer's Cuban touch on Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) or Sweetie Irie's contribution to the remix version of Clint Eastwood. These collaborations broaden the sonic field of the album without ever erasing local specifics. The album concludes with 19-2000 - Soulchild Remix, a track that does not seek to close the argument but to open it toward other horizons. This ending choice reminds us that Gorillaz is a project whose form is always in motion, never fixed.

Technical Specifications

- Release: 2001 - Label: Parlophone - Tracks: 17 (1 h 04 min) - Opening / Closing: Re-Hash / 19-2000 - Soulchild Remix - Guests: Miho Hatori, Del The Funky Homosapien, Tina Weymouth, Ibrahim Ferrer, Sweetie Irie