Kingdom is a producer that epitomizes my recent obsession, a trend I’ve coined rhythm and bass. The Brooklyn-based producer draws on all types of electronic music – dubstep, UK funky, juke, and kuduro, to name a few – along with the sultry vocals and melodic bent of R&B. With releases on leading labels Night Slugs and Fools Gold, along with a pick on the Trouble & Bass-curated Sounds of NYC EP, Kingdom finds himself at the forefront of a music revolution.
His debut single, the wobbly raver “Mind Reader,” received remixes from Night Slugs label heads Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990, who both altered the song’s tempo to reveal different aspects of its character. Bok Bok’s take is slower, putting Shyvonne’s vocals in the forefront; the remix by L-Vis amps up the song’s already high energy.
Kingdom returned the favor by releasing That Mystic on their label; the EP is one of the highlights of their young catalog. Under the scattershot percussion and foreboding synths are deep grooves that dare the listener not to dance. There are even surprising moments that lift the veil, like the breakdown of the otherwise unrelenting “Bust Broke” that pretty clearly samples Faith Evans’ “Soon As I Get Home.”
As alluded to earlier, Kingdom’s love affair with R&B doesn’t stop at a lone Faith Evans sample. He dabbles with baby making music on his remix of Usher’s “Appetite,” and his mix for XLR8R ends with a brilliant mash-up of Girl Unit’s “Every Time” and Ciara’s “Ride.” The latter was just released as a Night Slugs white label, “Ride It Every Time.”
While he can get smooth with rhythm and bass, Kingdom also has a sharper edge. Songs like “Uptown Buck” (on the aforementioned Sounds of NYC compilation) and “Hottest in America” revel in programmed drums, electronic chirps, and vocal slices. With the company he keeps, it’s no surprise that Kingdom makes dance music for all occasions.
Let’s not mince words: the dance music of every American urban center is defined by its ghetto. In the way that DC has go-go, Baltimore has club music, and Miami has (or had) booty bass, New Orleans has bounce music. Bounce fits nicely into the rubrics of these other regional sounds. Like Bmore club, bounce uses simplistic sampling, with songs built around the “Triggerman” and “Brown Beat” breaks, rather than those from “Think” and “Sing Sing.” Instead of remixing popular hits and samples, bounce focuses on the MC, whose call-and-response lyrics are chopped up like Chicago footwork vocals. And like Miami bass, bounce has gritty 808 drums and an obsession with booty. The result? Frenetic, unapologetic party music.
Bounce has had some crossover success, in the beats of Cash Money Records and Beyonce’s “Get Me Bodied,” and while these milestones are notable, artists that have labored in the bounce scene are finally getting their due.
Big Freedia is dubbed the Queen Diva of Bounce, thanks to her relentless energy and matchless personality. Born Freddie Ross, Freedia’s sexual identity gets her grouped into the LGBT-driven “sissy bounce” subgenre; for what it’s worth, Freedia disputes the distinction between “straight” and “sissy” bounce music. Still, bounce is unique in its open acceptance of oft-marginalized people: all that matters is the music.
And as far as the music is concerned, it’s probably best just to watch Big Freedia and the dance insanity that bounce inspires. Don’t overthink it. Take it in, download Scion A/V Presents: Big Freedia (below), and experience bounce the way it’s meant to be: live. Big Freedia plays DC9 tonight with Javelin and Ed the Metaphysical.
Here are a trio of videos that start to fill in the blanks around buzzworthy – yet mysterious – artists.
With only one official release to their name (“Days”), it was difficult to pinpoint the sound of CREEP; it takes more than a single point to define an artist. But with the release of the video for “You,” the points are beginning to form a line.
The video for “You” is a study in duality, in the same way that the’s goth-tinged R&B balances light and dark. The stark, black and white clip intersperses images of both duos responsible for the song – CREEP and twin sister vocalists Nina Sky. CREEP is mostly shown in silhouette or out-of-focus, practically stalking Nina Sky down an otherworldy hallway. There is a sensuality to the clip that matches its eeriness; what’s with the stigmata imagery?
Somehow, the video for James Blake‘s “Lindisfarne” is creepier than Creep’s offering. The mellow, finger-picked song is accompanied by an uneasy, almost cultish video. Who are these misfit toys, with their strange rituals, both corporeal and metaphorical? I’m guessing most viewers will find the literal spit swapping gross, not nostalgic; this generation didn’t have the liberty of becoming blood brothers, or using any other bodily-fluid-swapping bonding. Still, the feelings of abuse and loss in a clip that – at first glance – could be out of a British coming of age film, are quite surprising.
Nothing about Frank Ocean or his associates in Odd Future is predictable, so when he released “Acura Integurl” as the lead video for Nostalgia, Ultra (instead of “Novacane”), no one should have been surprised. Despite not appearing on the mixtape version of the album, the piano ballad is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
The impossibly lush video features Ocean, lovelorn and driving an Acura down the highway. The video effects that obscure the rising heartthrob serve only to increase the mystery and allure that surround him. Nostalgia, Ultra is set to be re-released on May 31, after which he should be able to buy the video’s sports car.
I made it all day without making a Rapture reference or joke, just to break the streak on this post. So apart from the world not ending tomorrow, what’s going on?
Friday: Cool Dudes Hanging Out is consistently the best night of comedy in DC. The details, in brief: 7-9pm, Velvet Lounge, $5, 6 comics, cheap drinks. Make it a night of comedy: cross the moat and catch Todd Barry at the Arlington Draft House.
Saturday: Tittsworth and Alvin Risk celebrate the release of their EP – and the new menu – at U Hall; the pork belly / jelly donut sandwich looks like a winner.
Sunday: Soundbites combines restaurants, food trucks, and live music in a benefit for the DC Central Kitchen. The party is at the 9:30 Club, starting at 5pm.
The Soundtrack
I slept on this mix a month too long – don’t make the same mistake! DJ Lil’ Elle dropped this upbeat, pop-friendly mix, which is a perfect for working out or getting hyped for the night.
The defining principle of moombahton is a battle between the agony and the ecstacy. Sharp-edged bangers that wear their Dutch house and dubstep influences on their sleeves versus tropical baby making music. To genre pigeon-holers, moombahcore versus moombahsoul. To a skilled moombahnista, the two styles are the ebb and flow of a set, pulling from all across the spectrum of passion.
On new EP NightVision, it’s clear that Cam Jus has the battle under control. After teasing audiences with original compositions “The Stabs” and “Even the Gringos” and remixes of M.I.A.’s “Boyz” and Doctor P’s “Big Boss,” the Tropixxx DJ releases four tracks that will surely be in moombahton sets everywhere.
For your soul, Cam flips Lisa Fischer’s 1991 classic “How Can I Ease the Pain.” Then he digs even deeper, remixing Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “Keep Your Head to the Sky.” Both tracks are tributes to Cam’s deep musical knowledge.
For the party, Cam brings it on both the title track and “Metro Center (Step Back).” “NightVision” is a pulsing jam that bounces between sawtooth synths and bubbly bass. The highlight, however, is the previously released “Metro Center.” The WMATA sampling tune is the best tribute to DC since Dave Nada’s “Moombahton” demanded that “If you in DC, just turn up the bass.”
Tittsworth and Alvin Risk need no introduction, and their long-awaited Two Strokes Raw EP brings moombahton to new levels. Like Munchi’s Murda Sound before it, Two Strokes Raw combines the duo’s Baltimore club, electro and rave influences with the nascent genre, birthing something exciting and new.
For the most part, this isn’t straight, 108 moombahton – and that’s a good thing. “Porcacheese” is more tropical electro than moombahton, and “Carta Boost” (featuring club legend Scottie B) is the sound of being lost in Baltimore at 4 in the morning.
The next step for moombahton is songs with organic, recorded vocals – not just samples. To that end, “La Campana” features Mad Decent singer Maluca over its skittering club beat. And as good as “La Campana” is, it has nothing on siren-fueled banger “Pendejas.” The bass is funky and unrelenting, and the 30-second build halfway through the song is simply explosive. Keep an eye out for the track’s video, recorded at an especially rambunctious Tropixxx party.
Two Strokes Raw was written expressly for the sound system of U Street Music Hall, so tomorrow night’s EP release party is sure to be epic. In the same vein, mark your calendar for the next Moombahton Massive – June 16 – featuring Nadastrom, Jen Lasher, Billy the Gent & Cam Jus, Tom B, and Obeyah.
While I have a firm grasp on network comedy, I’m not as comfortable with network dramas. For the most part, I don’t watch them. In the last decade, the rise of the procedural mirrored the rise of cable dramas, whether premium (The Sopranos, Dexter) or basic (The Shield, Mad Men). I’ve devoted much more time to the latter, which the rare exception of something groundbreaking like Lost. Still, a rose is a rose is a rose. Here’s a look at the networks’ dramatic offerings this fall.
NBC: Anything you can do, I can do, too. Part 1
For the most part, the last place network is looking to break their losing streak by opting for ideas that have worked beofre. Grimm, from the non-Whedon folks behind Buffy and Angel, mines similar territory with a high concept procedural that asks “what if the Grimm fairy tales were real?” Smash looks to cash-in on the musical craze, and even features an American Idol veteran, Katharine McPhee. The Playboy Club apes Mad Men, but in attempting to be everything to everyone, it seems unfocused; the sex, lies and murder drama would probably work better on cable. In Prime Suspect, Maria Bello tries to break into the homicide detective boys-club; the series was long-running and critically acclaimed in the UK, with Helen Mirren in the lead role. The trailer shows promise, but it’s tough to get attached to a cop show these days.
The exception to my “no more cop shows” rule just may be Awake, the dream-versus-reality thriller that is drawing comparisons to Inception. Sure, there is a police procedural here, but the premise sets it apart. After surviving a car crash, Mark Britten (Brotherhood‘s Jason Isaacs) lives two separate, parallel lives: one in which his wife survived instead of his son, and vice versa. He goes to sleep in one and wakes in the other, unsure of which is the dream. The trailer is chilling; I’ll definitely be watching this one.
ABC: Anything you can do, I can do, too. Part 2
ABC’s line-up is very similar to that of NBC, opting for the familiar and proven over real innovation. In several places, ABC and NBC are using the the same ideas: ABC’s schedule includes a “fairy tales are real” show in Once Upon a Time, and gives a woman’s perspective on the Mad Men / Catch Me If You Can time period with Pan Am.
I will admit, I’m not in the target audience for most of their other offerings. Revenge – The Count of Monte Cristo in the Hamptons – is bait for O.C. and Gossip Girl fans. Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal is Private Practice in the PR world. Good Christian Bitches Belles gets an adaptation and Charlie’s Angels gets a reboot. Yawn.
The only intriguing show is ABC’s attempt to recapture the magic of Lost. In The River, a Steve Corwin type goes missing in the Amazon. His family and crew try to find him, running into some shaky cam creepiness along the way, courtesy Paranormal Activity‘s Oren Peli. Like some of this fall’s comedies, however, this premise looks better suited to film than to TV.
CBS: Procedurals until we die!
CBS only added three new dramas, and two of these are approaching new levels of unintentional parody. A Gifted Man stars Patrick Wilson as a surgeon who gets help from his dead ex-wife. Unforgettable‘s main character has hyperthymesia, and can remember literally everything that’s ever happened to her; I wonder if that will help her solve crimes!
The winner here is Person of Interest, a crime thriller (with a sci-fi twist) executive produced by Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) and J.J. Abrams (Lost). Lost‘s Michael Emerson and James Caviezel use surveillance knowledge and CIA training, respectively, to prevent crimes before they happen.
FOX: Gettin’ high (concept)
And the loser is Fox. Their line-up includes a spin-off of Bones called The Finder, about an eccentric, offensive skeptic who can find anything (House with an internal GPS?). Then there’s the time travel plus dinosaurs extravaganza Terra Nova which is getting by because it has an executive producer named Steven Spielberg. Kiefer Sutherland will return to Fox next year, but Touch, about a man with a precognitive autistic child, hasn’t filmed yet. J.J. Abrams tries to save another network’s fall line-up, but his time travel mystery Alcatraz looks a little absurd (at least it has Hurley!).
This will teach me to plant the flag early on an intriguing artist. Here’s someone I’ve been trying to write about for a while, but couldn’t fully wrap my head around. Now she’s starting to catch some Internet buzz, so I might as well give my (belated) two cents.
I first heard of Kreayshawn late last year, when I came across her video for “Bumpin Bumpin.” Who was this ghetto fabulous white girl from Oakland?
Kreayshawn is a multimedia artist, very much in the style of 2011: she raps, DJs, directs and edits music videos, and even makes NSFW pixel art. In LA by way of East Oakland, Kreayshawn is part of the swagged out, post-hyphy based movement spearheaded by Lil B and the Pack. She has even directed and edited some of Lil B’s most viral video hits, including “Like a Martian.”
On Kittys X Choppas, Kreayshawn won’t blow anyone away with her lyricisim or flow. But in the based world (or that of Odd Future, for that matter), that’s not the point. This is about stripping it down to the irreverent essence of hip hop. This is grimy party rap about drug-induced insanity (“High,” a freestyle over Salem’s “Whenusleep”) and unapologetic violence (“They Wanna Kill Me,” “Killin Hoes”).
In comparison, associate V-Nasty makes Kreayshawn look tame. While “Free Earl” has become an esoteric battle cry, “Free V-Nasty” is far more concrete: V-Nasty was recently released from Alameda County Santa Rita Jail. As expected, she’s raw, violent and lives up to her name on her Don’t Bite Just Taste mixtape. She’s also a freestyler in the vein of Lil B, dropping ad-libs and punchlines with reckless abandon.
Rounding out the White Girl Mob with Kreayshawn and V-Nasty is DJ Lil Debbie, another based artist with a diversified portfolio. Check out the crew’s latest release, the video for Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci” (and watch for a cameo by Odd Future’s Left Brain). On “Gucci Gucci,” she’s actually made strides as a rapper; I can’t get over the hilarious simplicity of “Bitch you ain’t no Barbie / I see you work at Arby’s / Number two, supersized / Hurry up I’m starving.”
Odd Future and Lil B are re-writing the book on hip hop. Kreayshawn and the White Girl Mob might get their own chapter.
It’s upfront season, when each TV network presents a grand vision for their fall schedule. New shows are hyped up and old shows are given the boot, all with masturbatory excitement: “this is our year!” What used to be an insider, industry-only process is now – like everything – subject to the Internet’s buzz cycle.
As someone who consumes TV exclusively time-shifted, upfronts are a reminder that things like time slots are still the bread-and-butter issues of the industry. A strong lead-in or a well constructed block of programming can make or break a show. With that in mind, what new shows do the networks have in store, and which look worthwhile? Let’s take a look at new comedies.
NBC: Buzzworthy picks and the Year of the Woman
The hype for Up All Night looks to be well-deserved. Starring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph, and created by writer Emily Spivey (SNL, Parks & Recreation), the parenthood-workplace hybrid has the pedigree of a comedy hit. One red flag is NBC’s decision to have it start off Wednesday nights instead of slotting it into the Thursday night block, with similarly-minded sitcoms.
Paired with Up All Night is Free Agents, an adaptation of a British series of the same name. The brilliant Hank Azaria returns to TV (after the short-lived Huff) as Alex, a PR exec coming out of a messy divorce and simultaneously carrying on a complicated relationship with co-worker Helen (Kathryn Hahn). Anthony Head (of Buffy fame) reprises his role from the UK version as Alex’s sex-crazed boss. Supporting are Joe Lo Truglio, Natasha Leggero and Al Madrigal, all veterans of underground comedy. Free Agents is being written by John Enborn (Party Down, Veronica Mars) and original series creator Chris Neil.
Building on the success of female-driven comedies like 30 Rock and Parks & Rec, NBC returns to the well with several shows created, written, and starring women. First, the Peacock is getting back in on the multi-camera game: unfortunately, both Whitney (the vehicle for fast-rising comedian Whitney Cummings) and Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea (the adaptation of Chelsea Handler’s book of the same unwieldy name) look pretty staid, especially since both Cummings and Handler will need to tone down their comedic stylings considerably for network TV. Whitney will have the advantage of taking the coveted post-Office time slot.
Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair co-created and co-star in Best Friends Forever, a single camera relationship comedy, and while the clips didn’t catch me, the show could be a sleeper. BFF could play out like new favorite Happy Endings; coincidentally, Happy Endings‘ Adam Palley appears in the BFF pilot but will be recast, due to the former’s renewal. Rounding out the line-up is Bent, starring Amanda Peet, with a limited premise that is more suited to film: high-strung lawyer meets slacker contractor, love/hate relationship ensues. At least the cast includes Jeffrey Tambor. Vodka, BFF and Bent are being held until mid-season.
ABC: Men behaving badly (mostly)
Most of the premises for ABC’s new comedies are groan-inducing takes on modern masculinity. Tim Allen returns to TV in Last Man Standing, under siege from his wife and daughter. The succinctly-titled ensemble comedy Man Up features married men who only wear the pants in their online game worlds. Worst of all is the men-in-drag (!) sitcom Work It. ABC skips the subtlety in their naked appeals to the lucrative “manly man” demographic, so feel free to skip these.
The only shows with promise on ABC are Suburgatory and Apartment 23. Suburgatory works well-worn territory – the suburbs suck! – but Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines are talented comedic actors. Apartment 23 (formerly Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23) was created by Nahnatchka Khan (American Dad) and Dave Heminson (How I Met Your Mother, Just Shoot Me) and stars Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Veronica Mars) as a roommate from Hell. Similar to Episodes, the show features James Van Der Beek as a fictionalized version of himself, but also like Episodes, I’m not sure how many Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues jokes they can manage.
FOX: It’s okay, these will be canceled soon!
Fox offers four comedies (two live action, two animated) and only one, The New Girl, shows much promise. Zooey Deschanel stars, combining her usual “manic pixie dream girl” fare with a touch of Liz Lemon and a My Boys-esque plot. Fempire member Liz Meriwether created the show, which (like BFF) will need to re-cast an actor (Damon Wayans Jr.) because of Happy Endings‘ renewal.
I doubt that the multi-camera I Hate My Teenage Daughter, uber-timely Napoleon Dynamite cartoon, or animated Jonah Hill vehicle Allen Gregory will be around next fall. If I had to choose one to succeed, I’d put my money on Allen Gregory, with Hill writing and voicing a precocious seven year old.
CBS: Procedurals pay the bills
It always surprises me that CBS is a dominant network, since I never watch it (with the exception of How I Met Your Mother). But they clearly know what 18-49 year olds want (myself excluded). CBS gave Whitney Cummings her second pilot of the year, 2 Broke Girls, which she co-created with Michael Patrick King (who wrote both Sex and the City movies, shudder). I have higher hopes for How to Be a Gentleman, written and directed by David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) with comedy veterans Kevin Dillon (Entourage), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, Mr. Show) and Dave Foley (Newsradio). (CBS was the last to present, so no show previews are available to hoi polloi as of yet.)
Check back tomorrow as I examine this fall’s network dramas.
What press-captivating antics will transpire before, during, or after Wednesday night’s sold-out show at the Rock and Roll Hotel are a mystery. But if the show is anything like the collective’s Valentine’s Day gig at U Street Music Hall, it is sure to be a memorable night.
Nearly a decade has passed since practically no one saw Wet Hot American Summer in theaters. Thankfully, the film lives on, having achieved cult status with the “drunk and/or high college kid” market. Wet Hot is an absurd, twisted look at summer camp in the 80s, written by comedians David Wain and Michael Showalter (of underground favorites The State and Stella Comedy); Wain also directed. Hilariously over the top and eminently quotable, the film’s biggest strength is its cast. But while the credits read like an all-star cast now, it wasn’t that way back in 2001. Here’s a breakdown of the ensemble into a few, uh, camps.
Already Famous
Janeane Garofalo: A star of stand-up, TV and film since the mid-90s, Garofalo was no stranger to audiences as camp director Beth.
David Hyde Pierce: Pierce had logged nearly 200 episodes of Frasier when he took the role of Henry, the nebbish professor who helps save the day.
Molly Shannon: Shannon was already a Superstar, having dominated SNL during its late 90s resurgence before playing the weepy Gail.
Christopher Meloni: While not as well known by name when WHAS was released, Meloni had been a standout on HBO’s groundbreaking Oz and had just began his run as Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. With roles as a bisexual, sociopathic killer and a tough-as-nails sex crimes investigator, Meloni isn’t known for his comedic timing, which is a shame.
Breakout Stars
Paul Rudd: The Ageless Wonder had achieved some level of success before WHAS, including roles in Clueless and The Cider House Rules, but was still a few years from emerging as part of the Judd Apatow Frat Pack with scene-stealing roles in Anchorman, The 40-Year Old Virgin, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He was reunited with director David Wain in Role Models.
Amy Poehler: Like Rudd, Poehler had been around (as part of sketch show Upright Citizens Brigade), but her role in WHAS predates her SNL breakthrough and headlining gig on Parks and Recreation.
Bradley Cooper: Cooper is a relatively minor character in WHAS (his major appearance a hilariously tender gay sex scene with Michael Ian Black). Like Rudd, a supporting role in a Frat Pack film (the yuppie mook Sack in Wedding Crashers) would lead to starring roles in The Hangover and The A-Team.
Elizabeth Banks: Banks put the “wet hot” in the movie’s title, spending most of her screen time in a bikini and making out with Paul Rudd. Since then, Banks has played major baby mama roles on Scrubs and 30 Rock, in addition to starring in Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Members of “The State”
Michael Ian Black: Arguably the most famous member of MTV’s classic sketch comedy show, Michael Ian Black is a television mainstay thanks to Ed, various VH1 specials, and Sierra Mist commercials.
Michael Showalter: The third member of Stella, Showalter collaborated with MIB on the short-lived Michael and Michael Have Issues; his film The Baxter is an underrated romantic comedy.
AD Miles: Miles shows up on screen occasionally (as in Dog Bites Man), but he’s making a name for himself as the head writer on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Ken Marino: Marino has done a ton of television, all of it funny. Notable roles include Vinnie Van Lowe on Veronica Mars and Ron Donald on Party Down.
Joe LoTruglio: One of the lesser known State members, LoTruglio is also a Frat Packer, appearing in Superbad, Pineapple Express, Role Models, and Paul.
Comedy cameos
H. Jon Benjamin: Known for his voice work on Archer, Home Movies, and Bob’s Burgers, Benjamin delivers his finest line of dialogue as the can of vegetables: “Look, Gene, I’ve never told anyone this before, but I can suck my own dick, and I do it a lot.”
Judan Friedlander: Stand-up comedian / 30 Rock‘s Frank shows up for one scene as Gail’s deadbeat husband, Ron von Kleinenstein.
While some of the creative team behind Wet Hot American Summer has (jokingly) mentioned doing a prequel or sequel, this is really a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Unless everyone involved is willing to work for scale, fans are probably left with the fake “ten years later” scene from after the credits.
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