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It’s rare that a band manages to masterfully merge the catchy hooks of yore with that je ne se qua indie sensibility and a bit of proto-punk abrasiveness (remember The MC5?)– but it proves to be a conglomeration of endearing traits which have already helped NYC’s own Darlings garner notoriety outside the city that never sleeps. Peter Rynsky ensures rapt attention with both the right mix of angst and anger, stream-of-consciousness prose, and sporadic screams, all without sounding sappy or trite. Their new record, If This is Love, is out in stores now. You should get it.

Words by Jeff Nau

The Darlings – Teenage Girl

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4.33 (6 votes)

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“Our CDs definitely pack a lot of energy,” Wilder Zoby, the keyboardist for the organic jazz/funk/disco ensemble Chin Chin interjects. “But our live shows are absolutely wild – we like to involve everyone, and basically bug the fuck out!”

Chin Chin’s reputation is growing faster than a Mojave Desert cyclone, and new listeners can’t help but get totally sucked in. The band’s nucleus has three members: biological brothers Wilder and drummer/vocalist Torbitt with the third musketeer being bassist, Jeremy Wilms. However, for their widely-revered NYC shows, the band’s number can swell to upwards of ten players. The end result is an lush wall of sound made up of thick slabs of gooey Parliament-style funkiness, irresistible disco riffs and the jazziest chords this side of BirdLand. “We’ll play for as long as they give us,” Wilder says about their notorious performances. “But given the right circumstances, we could go on for about seven hours,” he adds half-joking. Chin Chin is also known for its thunderous, Mardi Gras-evoking horn arrangements, a feat they attain by incorporating trombone and trumpet players from another exceptional live band you might have heard of, Antibalas.

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New York City’s DJ BUTTERFACE (aka Michael Bazini) got his start in 1994 with his “fundustrial” band Dystopia One. They released three full-length albums between None Of The Above Records and Rawkus Entertainment, and performed aggressively throughout the 90’s.

Butterpickle featuring Prez Ike Traylor Mix

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By 2000, he reintroduced himself as DJ Butterface, working as an electronic composer and producer. His music can be heard in video games (Extreme G3, Acclaim Entertainment), local independent films and television shows (CBS NFL / Basketball, MTV Cribs, Room Raiders), and his original compositions have been used for several New York City theatre productions.

DJ Butterface worked extensively with NYC DJ collective/label Vinylholic, and was a resident DJ at B3, their flagship club in the East Village. His current performances include events throughout the New York City area, and regular bookings nationwide in Tucson, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Miami, FL, and Boston, MA.

DJ Butterface’s latest releases include remixes for Paranoid Social Club’s Two Girls (Vinylholic), and Nadir’s Slave (Bikiniwax). He appears on Martin Bisi’s (Sonic Youth, Helmet, Foetus) new solo album Sirens of the Apocalypse (Black Freighter) and performs backing vocals and keyboards on Bisi’s current tour.

Punks of Funk – Butterface vs Orion Mix

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4.50 (2 votes)

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If North America South America’s (N.A.S.A.) music were a type of food, it would be Gumbo or Paella (not a stew because stew aint cool), mixing disparate flavors of different nations into a delicacy worth devouring en masse. N.A.S.A. is a musical duo of DJs Squeak E Clean and Ze Gonzalez (Zegon) and about FORTY other collaborators from nearly every corner of music. More a traveling musical circus than simply an “act” N.A.S.A., brings the brash and bizarre influences of Brazilian Baile Funk to life with a North American thump – a serious sensory overload; a spiced mélange of all musical flavors.

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4.80 (5 votes)

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