This month I chose songs from the underground that are distinct with creepy impressive beats and translucently aggressive vocals. May’s selections are engaged in a powerful anger, with creeptastic-energy-filled sounds. I predominately found artists that are very under-exposed, so I did what any good journalist would do, expose em.
Spotlights:
Gaika – Hailing from Brixton, England this artist is an innovator for black electronic music. In his music you can hear the experimental influence of dancehall, grunge, and trip-hop. Gaika is an absolute Queer ally. In an interview with The Guardian it reveals that Gaika has collaborated with radical queer musician, Mykki Blanco, in the past. He also establishes his goals as an artist to include a “mixed crowd full of hood kids, musos, flamboyant queer people and beautiful women” at his live shows.” Gaika is an artist to be on the lookout for. This guy will be revolutionary.
Wreck and Reference – These California folks put down their heavy metal equipment and converted to a newly impressive sound. Utilizing only a sample pad, vocals and a drumkit, they continue to include a copious amount of anger and emotion. I saw them perform back in 2015, and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The energy of a heavy black death band but they only held a drum pad and a drum kit. A new genre of music was unraveling right in front of me.
Ho99o9 – (Pronounced Horror) is a punk infused hop-hop group that is here to stay. Coming from the east coast, Ho99o9 has been influenced by Death Grips, Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, and DMX. The sound of course is vicious, powerful and angry. A large theme in their music is “FUCK POLITICS”. Their intense lyrics repel to inform the masses. Fellow contemporaries have much respect for them as they opened for The Dillinger Escape Plan back in January 2017.
S3R SPOTIFY TESTIFY PLAYLIST:
https://open.spotify.com/user/1225523830/playlist/3KEbDTgzntTEYNgQ0h80wW
See you next month for S3R’s June Spotify Testify Playlist.
Written by Hannah
