Kingdom | Corpse
A tough, sinister cut from Kingdom ’s forthcoming EP, Vertical XL, has surfaced. “Corpse” follows the relatively light-hearted lead single “Bank Head,” which features LA-based vocalist Kelela .
The Fade to Mind boss will release the 7-track record, his fifth EP, on May 28.
[Kingdom]
alh
Nguzunguzu | Interview
[Asma + Daniel aka Nguzunguzu - photo by EdG]
Last April, Rader and I, sam.i.am, had the opportunity to conduct a post-gig chat with the dance-floor heating duo, Asma and Daniel, better known as Nguzunguzu . These guys are busier then ever these days, jumping from working with New York’s Fade to Mind and UK’s Night Slugs imprint, to designer behemoth’s Kenzo and SSENSE , and of course the Red Bull Music Academy . Needless to say, its a pleasure to have had the opportunity to discuss their music, brand, and developing history outside of Montreal’s Blue Dog Motel . We blew the dust off of this one for your educational pleasure -
LL: Alright, let’s start with your beginnings. Daniel, I read that your Puerto Rican father used to sing lullabies to you, or was it folk songs, whatever. And your mother, Asma, was a DJ at a candy shop. Can you guys elaborate on those respective introductions?
Daniel : My dad’s actually from the Dominican though.
LL: Dominican? I read wrong .
Daniel : Yeah, my mom’s Puerto Rican. He lived in Puerto Rico for a while but yeah, he sings. They sang. They’d get drunk and sing.
Asma : Um, I dunno. My parents just love music, they always played it. I mean, they used to play a lot of Hindu songs and I hated it when I was young. Me and my brothers and sisters hated it but, um, now I really appreciate it. Opened my mind and shit.
LL: Hell yeah.
LL: And how can we hear those influences now- like, the Puerto Rican, the Hindi, in your songs. Is it there? Or am I looking too hard.
Daniel : I mean…
Asma : Indirectly. I don’t think that, like, we’re so like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna sample Bollywood,’ or something that’s so, like, trite, like, I guess.
Daniel : There’s some kinda rhythms that are like that but..
Asma : Yeah..
Daniel : I dunno if that’s at the forefront, but some rhythms are there, definitely.
[WILDNESS - Asma Maroof, Wu Tsang, Daniel Pineda, and Ashland Mines (Total Freedom)]
LL: I understand that the majority of your connections came from the WILDNESS parties at the Silver Platter- there’s a long list of names. But was that “world club,” quote on quote, that “tropical disco shit”- was that a prominent genre at those parties? Or were you unique to that and is that why those connections came about?
Asma : I feel like people just didn’t know what to call it so they just said “tropical,” which I still don’t technically understand. I was like ‘Oh, does that mean like brown people making music is tropical or something?’ or some shit like that. I dunno how I feel.
Daniel : Yeah it was a Latin club- we played all kinds of music.
LL: How did you guys get into the project with Kenzo that you just released a couple weeks ago?
Daniel : Yeah, that was like… we had a lot of people from Opening Ceremony that would come, like Humberto and Carol, that design Kenzo now and I guess they used to come to our party and then people that worked there used to come and then, I mean, just out of the blue they hit us up like, ‘Oh, in two weeks we’re doing this fashion show. Can you make a 15-minute original mix?’
LL: Are you looking forward to doing any more fashion in the future?
Asma : Hell yeah, man.
LL: What can we anticipate in 2012? In terms of collaboration from you guys, or any other creative venture?
Asma : Well, we have an EP coming out soon. It’s called Warm Pulse - look for it out on Hippos and Tanks .
Daniel : We’re gonna do another EP on Fade To Mind and hopefully a bunch of other stuff, we don’t really know what.
Asma : We’re also touring with The Claw . That’s us, Nguzunguzu, with Kingdom , and Total Freedom , so look out for that.
LL: When does that start?
Asma : We’re going to Europe in April.
LL: Cool. Festival Circuit?
Asma : We’re doing some festivals.
LL: Which ones are you doing?
Asma : We’re going to Amsterdam – I don’t remember the names of anything but we’re playing this art festival in Italy. Then a boat in Serbia and some other cool shit. That should be fun. We’re excited.
LL: Final question: do you guys feel the spirit of Nguzunguzu guiding you on this adventure of yours- or is it just a cool fucking name?
Asma : [Laughter] I love that. That was cute. Oh my god, I didn’t even think about that. Like, that’s what’s guiding us. That’s so cute.
LL: From your turntable canoe.
Asma : That’s so beautiful. I’ll just say yes to that question. All of that.
Daniel : You know, man, we’ve confronted some obstacles.
LL: Some border control.
Daniel : But somehow we make it through so something has helped guide us.
LL: Thanks for your time.
sam.i.am, rader, alh
Space, Ladies | Medusa (iO Remix)
Within 24 hours of being posted to Soundcloud, Space, Ladies ‘ Medusa EP was snatched up by Senseless Records - pretty quick for a producer that is relatively unknown. The EP features two original tracks as well as four complimentary remixes by iO , Kiev , Sentel , and Sarantis .
iO ‘s rework of “Medusa” sounds like something that could have played out during Kingdom ‘s 4am red-letter set at Shambhala last summer. The London-based producer has been generating some heat recently, what with his recent mix for Mary Anne Hobbs’ XFM radio show , and his remix does not disappoint. iO ‘s interpretation begins with a soft, spacious melody which swiftly leads into the thumping beat kicks and distorted synth lines that lend that dance floor energy to the track throughout.
Download || Medusa (iO Remix) – Space, Ladies
alh
Shambhala 2011 | Episode 4 of 4: Sunday
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- photo by T
We’ve been longing for something. It’s been a couple of months now, and we’ve witnessed the leaves turn hot and felt the air turn cold. So let us go back in time this sharp October evening and reminisce about a place of warm bodies and minds.
This episode has been waiting for the opportunity to lift your spirits.
Do you remember Shambhala ?
Glitchy & Scratchy , the combined moniker of producers The Mongoose & Bevy Swift, are familiar faces to the West Coast bass scene due to there consistently funky live exhibitions. These boys christened our evening with a crunchy style, opening a champagne bottle of bleeps instead bubbles. Be sure to check their schedule because they’ll likely be mixing in a club near you in the not-so-distant future.
Speaker Humpin’ (Glitchy & Scratchy Remix) – Subvert [glitch-hop]
From the North West of England, Mat The Alien , pleasantly surprised an audience that has had the opportunity to see him a number of times. He spun a set that spanned from the expected funky break and the raspy wobble, to the uncharacteristic four-on-the-floor. His venturesome set had the crowd nodding their head in impressed approval, but he sealed the positive reviews of our kind with the drop of Sub-Antix ‘s barely released release Badness , and did it ever go off. This extraterrestrial Dj is fresh off his last musical discharge , so give it a listen, a coin, and wait for him to cross the pond.
64 Bytes (ill.Gates Remix feat Meesha & Mat the Alien) – Eprom [glitch-hop] [break-beat]
What can we say about Subvert ? We can praise him for the wonder of the acoustic world that is The Village and PK Sound. We can weep over his titanic Cranberries edit of 2010. But we can not say that he has been pushing the boundaries of his genre, not at all. So, we respectfully tip our hat. He’s recently co-womped a tune with the ever-womping Datsik , so listen to that and see if you you’re in to it.
Zombie (Subvert Remix) – The Cranberries [dubstep]
One genre that tends to define this festival is break beat, and I don’t believe that any festival on the planet does it better. Kelownian, Stickybuds , is one of the these exceptionally funky artists. This up-beat tendency is seldom seen on low-life, but in context, this style of music is obscenely fun. His tracks are lovely, but I’d recommend the mix. It bobs you up and down like a Weeble. Try not to fall down. Take a look into what he’s been up to as of late on his Facebook page .
Sickybuds Fractal Forest Mix Shambhala 2011 [break-beat] [funk]
In all honesty, we didn’t expect much from Toronto duo, Zeds Dead , but we were once again merrily bemused. After reminding us of just how fantastic their classics are in a live setting, they proceeded to spring intriguing rhythms and bass lines that reminded myself of an almost contemporary UK style, granted far thicker. Word about town tells us that these two have been marketing themselves as individuals, along with their current partnership, so we may very well hear some interesting sounds in the future. Keep an eye glued to their soundcloud so as not to miss their next move.
Coffee Break – Zeds Dead [dubstep]
I must confess, we missed Skrillex ‘s set. We apologize if that offends you. The crowd was too many elbows and the sound was too many punches. It just didn’t feel suiting to the environment of Shambhala but I will mention a couple of Skrillex tunes that have impressed me recently. Both of which are a stretch from his trademark sound. We can’t deny his talent as producer. He is a maverick. We also can’t deny that power of Koan Sound . Don’t fret, there’s more to come from them soon enough. For now, visit skrillex.com so as not to miss his next, industry shattering move.
Lick It – Kaskade & Skrillex [electro]
Kill Everybody (Koan Sound Remix) – Skrillex [dubstep] [recommended]
Australian Youtube sensation, Dub FX , had the entire Village smiling. Perhaps it was his spin on the Jamaican banana tune, or his possy’s feathered ventriloquist gargoyle. The fact that he’s been touring internationally along side his wife, the swaggering Flower Fairy , undoubtedly warms a Shambhala heart. His shtick is impressive, especially in person. Some of those bass tones baffle me as to how they emerged from a human esophagus. Checkout his label’s youtube channel for more stupefying displays of throat.
Dub FX ‘Flow’ feat. Mr. Woodnote from bd films on Vimeo .
Bassnectar fulfilled his unofficial title as the king of Shambhala . He opened with a thick rework of Pharoahe Monch and delivered with a similar effect over the course of his set. It wasn’t particularly stimulating in terms of style, but it was as booming as we had hoped. His hip hop laced bass pleased the ever loving Village audience for the 11th year in a row. He’s been generous recently, so reap the benefits at bassnectar.com
Cozza Frenzy (Bassnectar’s Mega Bass Remix) – Bassnectar [dubstep]
Bass Head (King Fantastic Remix) – Bassnectar [dubstep] [hip-hop] [recommended]
Here We Go – Bassnectar [dubstep] [break-beat]
Stanton Warriors have been developing their break style over the past year. What was once more typical is now more sophisticated by means of toned production and rythmic variation. If you like break-beat, you’ll love their new album, The Warriors . You would have most certainly been contented with their Fractal performance as well.
Dakota – Stanton Warriors [break-beat] [recommended]
New York – Stanton Warriors [glitch-hop]
Flux Pavilion ; yet another artist that slapped the smug look off of our faces. He must have dropped half a dozen new tracks. When I congratulated him on the impressive feat, he casually speculated in his thick and jolly accent, “I figure, ‘What better place than here,’” as he swung back what was surely his umpteenth beer. His set was significantly better than you would imagine, and I’m sure you imagine it being no less than brilliant. His hard work can be attained over at Circus Records .
Midnight Run (Flux Pavilion Remix) – Example [dubstep] [recommended]
Joshua Steele’s partner in crime, Doctor P , also pleased the low-life team, though it was his variation between genres that perked up my Sunday evening ears. Of course, he played out his hallmark wobble, but he interjected between the dubstep anthems with disco tunes and poppy breakdowns, that is, pop by Doctor P standards, which is hardly pop. None the less, it was a cheeky and clever set. His business can also be perused at the Circus Records base .
Tetris – Doctor P [dubstep]
Watch Out – Doctor P [dubstep]
After Doctor P , we stumbled back to camp in the misty dawn and discussed the triumphs of this magical weekend:
- Longwalkshortdock ‘s raucous display of electro and skinny fist pumping.
- Justin Martin ‘s spook house at The Pagoda.
- The wall of lush synths emitted from Mimosa ‘s thrusting pelvis.
- Downlink redeeming and exceeding the standards of Rottun Records .
- The Lighta! Crew ‘s tasteful takeover.
- The eclectic ball pit that was A.skillz’ Fractal Forest jam.
- Kingdom ‘s morning exhibition of the Night Slug sound.
- And, of course, Sunday’s relentless display of quality dubstep.
A tear wells up in my eye as I realize that this is the last time that I’ll be basking in the nostalgia of that fine weekend at the Salmo River Ranch; in all of its wonderment. That is, until next year.
Be sure to buy your 2012 ticket soon, because they’re quickly becoming a scarce commodity.
Do your self a favor and have the time of your life.
With all of our love,
sam.i.am & low-life.ca
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- photo by T
