Episode 116: Future Club Internationale

Last Wednesday’s episode starts out a bit ADD, fitting six short, energetic tracks into the first twelve minutes. From the Latin beats of Merca Bae to the Sino-club of Demon Slayer, to the mutated mentasm of Monotronique, to the Cali dancehall/HA! pastiche of Habibiboi, to the chopped Serbian beats and bass of dJJ’s Lil Taty remix, to the African asymmetries of DJ Helder, it invites us on a tour of the worldwide spacelessness/placelessness of the international club underground.

As is often the case with my mixes, things get chaotic around the halfway point. The music delves into the “deconstructed” beats of club’s avant garde, who utilize extended beatless spaces, noise breakdowns, and pummeling beats that border on industrial to disorient the listener/dancer. Producers have explained this as their attempt to explore emotional spaces more complex than dance music’s usual palate of euphoria or menace. R Y K T cheekily throws everything at the wall. Tension and evaa weave oneiric glassine melodies. Ytem wields threatening strings and wild tribal percussion. Angel-Ho ups the mystery with distorted stabs, empty space, and mocking laughter (not to mention that one random horse sample). Bean brings melody back, but keeps it disorienting with unsettled modulations and pounding, off kilter beats.

Australia’s beat savant Air Max ’97 brings sub-bass rumble and a swinging triplet feel to bridge the gap between the darker middle section and the climactic third act. DJ Ruan’s Shakira mashup paves the way for Jersey Club remixes, ballroom HA! sample fantasias, and tropical dancehall raunch. The mix ends on a pensive note with Santa Muerte and Lunarios trading “Bad Feelings.”

• Merca Bae – Merca High [Merca Zip /2016/]
• Demon Slayer – Nat Het Roi [Silk Road Sounds Vol. 1]
• Monotronique – Rootz Fire [Jamz!]
• Habibiboi – Pon Ur Ha [CyberSonicLA Vol 1]
• Lil Taty – Bad Juju (dJJ Remix) [Marabu EP]
• DJ Helder – Traphouse [EP African Magic]
• AN System – Matalo [Jamz!]
• Sha Sha Kimbo – Watch This [CyberSonicLA Vol 2]
• Si Begg – Sick and Tired of the Bullshit [Physically Sick 2]
• Ariel Zetina – Cyst [Cyst EP]
• Lechuga Zafiro – Tambor Espada (سكين) feat. C1080 [Aequs Nyama EP]
• Grasps_ – ANGER [TAR Class of 2017 Vol. I]
• R Y K T – Hinge [Thunderbyte EP]
• Tension – Oblique (evaa remix) [Parallax]
• Ytem – Délok [CVLT Singles]
• ANGEL-HO – AUTO SHADE [ASCENSION]
• BEAN – Private [Dextro]
• Air Max ’97 – Thrall [HPE]
• Kareem Lofty x Shakira x Pitbull – Mr. Worldwide’s rabiosa in da power bass bubbling (Ruan Messup) [The Real Ruan bootleg edits Vol. 1 之 天道酬勤]
• JX Cannon – Tool 2 [CyberSonicLA Vol 2]
• A$AP Mob – Hella Hoes (Flippy Frog Remix) [Fuck Soundcloud Vol. 1]
• Skyshaker – 戦闘記憶～Shmurda Sentou (Kaishi Dramatyx Edition)
• Byrell the Great – Wild, FTN [Chopped Cheese]
• D-DOTs & LowParse – Rump (feat. Magugu & Dilly Chris) [RUMP]
• Santa Muerte – Bad Feelings ft. Lunarios [Penitencia]

BPM: 128