Archive for the ‘London’ Category

Witchy new video “Hubble Bubble” by FreQ Nasty feat. Chris Munky and MARF

Posted: December 8, 2022 by Kat Meow in Chris Munky, Electronic, Experimental, Freq Nasty, London, Los Angeles, MARF
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FreQ Nasty and his dreadlocked crown hail from desert festivals and underground dancefloors writhing with experimental madness.  Known mostly for his instantly recognizable work with Santigold, and a long resumé of well-known collaborators and remixes, FreQ (Darin to his mum) also pioneers with his own bass and breakbeat collection.  His newest video release, “Hubble Bubble,” is a potion concocted with velvet vocalist MARF and fellow breakbeat producer Chris Munky.  It is spooky, and disconcerting, and rumbles with ill-fated sensuality.  MARF’s shiraz voice casts a potent spell over this ominous gem and its fractured smatterings of sound. 

“Hubble Bubble’s” spell brings toil and trouble in the form of gently pagan motifs and warped analog tape.  Shots of FreQ Nasty and Chris Munky seem to flaunt a collection of imprisoned and mind-warped men as MARF lavishes menacingly in her own cauldron.  FreQ Nasty’s eyes are crazed as if still warped by a spell binding him to his urges.  You get the sense that the desperate spider under a glass, panicking with the drum flourishes, is being rendered impotent by the very spell MARF is casting with her knife and chess token.  She lounges among nature adorned in beats and furs while the vibrating bass rumbles with primal magicks.  Her gaze, dark and witchy with flavors of Siouxsie, enraptures: “Give me your wrists so I can hold them / Give me your heart so I can put it in a bag / Give me your love and devotion / He knelt down and I pulled out my dagger.”  Fuzzy screens, ladders, and reversed physics give the whole video a vibe akin to the cursed video in The Ring, so thanks for those nightmares again.  

FreQ Nasty describes the tune’s “angular amen cuts, slow-motion 808 kick drums, and hypnotic mantra-esque whispers,” which, for the technically uneducated, means he makes all the twiddly knob bits make absolutely looney sounds like distended wibblewobbles and fwips and thudnnnnnnn-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D *clap* bits.  It’s really good. It’s electronic music with a really delicious homemade visual experience.  I would do some weird psychedelic shit on the dance floor to this one if I encountered it in the wild, and I hope I do.

FreQ Nasty Links ★ Chris Munky Linktree ★ MARF Website

Jem debuts “Love Me Or Lose Me”

Posted: November 30, 2022 by Kat Meow in Jazz, Jem, London, R&B, Soul
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Jem is an English artist hitting the British jazz pop scene with her EP, Love Me or Lose Me.  Motifs about forbidden love come through Jem’s rich tones and smooth jazz rhythms in its four tracks.  The EP starts with “Juliet,” which introduces the more self-conscious and exploratory parts of starting a new relationship.  The red flags are waving throughout – the overthinking, the doubt, the blinders over the lover’s flaws, but that’s par for the course if you’re getting drawn in by a Romeo.  “Falling 4U,” featuring Tomi Balogh, romanticizes the falling with some 00s-type R&B flavors.

A standout track for is “1.18,” where our Juliet is caught in her thoughts in the wee hours of the morning.  Smooth rhythms with spoken-word vocals lament a deep insecurity from an unsure love.  All those red flags from the first two tracks come to a head here.  Sweet and strummy guitars illustrate that frustrating feeling of uncertainty.  It’s hard to know if her lover is giving her the runaround, or if she’s giving it to herself through that endless process of thinking and rethinking into eternity.  What strikes me is how often I’ve been down this road, and how many friends I have watched spiral, asking “what are we?”  Maybe needing to ask is the biggest red flag of all.

Jem’s voice and keys fit with the shift to cold winter tones.  Final track “Fingertips” tinkles this warm EP to a close.  A solid effort from this London-based newcomer.

Jem TikTok  ★  Jem Love Me Or Lose Me EP  ★  Jem Instagram