Crossfeed: Sango and Shook

Crossfeed: Sango and Shook

 Crossfeed is an ongoing feature discussing new releases with the musically inclined.

This month we have Australia based Charlie Yedor, Founder of music sharing platforms Like Minded and Syndicate. Also weighing in is LA’s very own electro producer, Trotika. Today we explore the down-tempo space of Sango's summer mixtape North and the dance proclivity of Shook’s self-titled debut.

Spoiler: Rant on Rants on RAM.

Sango - North

Ziv Biton (OtCC): Pardon my stereotype when I say “I don’t usually do this” but… thank you for being part of the first Crossfeed. Happy Halloween.

CY: Word.

TRTKA: Thank you, Happy Halloween.

ZB: Sango is a pretty new producer on the scene what did you think of his debut?

CY: I think the album has some nice tunes, particularly “Middle of Things” and “Here With Me,” and explores some ‘future’ landscapes. That being said, I don’t understand what all the fuss is about because there's a thousand other Sangos making Sango-like music and I choose to listen for sounds that make me feel uncomfortable - something new, out of the box, and North doesn't quite stir my insides as I'd hoped it would. But all in all, it's a nice fusion of bassy-hip hoppy-electronic textures.

ZB: Totally feel you. Other than “Middle of Things” (which I have listened to somewhere in the amount of: Countless) I feel like the majority of these sounds and styles could be found if you typed "Drake Type Beat” on YouTube.

TRTKA: Yeah, I hear the Drake-y point. This album has a similar hypnotic penetrating beat.

ZB: I think the textures on this effort are really nice but it just seems a little overdone and drags on in an album format. I think if Sango released one "Middle of Things" every month he would be amazing. But, to hear all of this plod on is just uninteresting.

CY: There's no question it's good, it's just the difficulty of this style translating to a full-length album. Keeping interest and maintaining style without boring a listener is quite tough to do.

Sango - Here With Me

ZB: By the way, I was reading up a bit on Sango and apparently the title North is supposed to have some Hebrew connotations as evidenced by the albums art being "the Hebrew word for North". But I seriously have no clue what he’s taking about since the art looks like a bunch of triangles and not at all like any language I’ve ever seen.

Also, North? As if the Drake-y sound isn't referential enough it’s like, 'Let me Hashtag it with Kanye's babies name so all the bitches will love it.'

Shook - Shook

Shook - Wasp

CY: I personally didn't know what to expect on this one but was VERY pleasantly surprised. There's a lot of variety to be had on this album.

ZB: I really loved this one. Some amazing pop songs. Phenomenal sounds with a consistent dance-ability. There is the obvious Daft Punk meets Deadmau5 comparison, but I feel that there is a pop quality to this that Deadmau5 could never latch on to.

TRTKA: Yea, I think you said it best with the Daft Punk/EDM comparison, but there is also a lot of Nu-Disco and Breakbot on this thing that makes it varied enough to stay fresh.

CY: Definitely easy to see the Daft influence.

TRTKA: It seems like most of this was influenced by Daft.

ZB: It’s actually kind of nice to hear somebody filling in the dance spot since DPunk isn’t really doing this sort of thing anymore.

CY: I like this album way more than RAM

ZB: Really? I liked RAM a lot. But, I do wish RAM carried the way Shook does. RAM is very personal and isn't as interested with making you DANCE the way Daft usually is. Whereas Shook is like DANce DANCE daNCE!

Shook reminded me of when I first heard Disclosure's album and I played the whole thing front to back 3 times at a birthday party and no one noticed or cared; just kept fucking moving!

Shook - Summer Heat

CY: It sure makes you want to dance, but in my opinion, in a blind listening test, I would choose this album over RAM; 10/10.

TRTKA: I love the old Daft of course, however on RAM they seem to have created a new Daft - a group of really talented old musicians and producers to pump out disco and pop tunes. But, back to what we are supposed to be here to talk about: Shook

ZB: SO MUCH DAFT

CY: It’s hard not to get carried away on DP

TRTKA: Last say: The production on RAM is unbelievable.

So, I'm a big Album cover guy, [I think] it's a way for an artist to showcase what their about in a visual interpretation and also give the listener an experience before and during listening.  Before listening to Shook I took a look at [his album art] and thought it looked like an amateur anime sketch… not feeling that.

ZB: It can definitely come off that way. But, have you seen the dude’s website? Unbelievable. He is trying something new, fucking with the system and I think it is amazing. 

TRTKA: Okay so he’s got a cute lil theme to go along with the music. Cool.

ZB: C’mon man, it’s Halloween; it’s all about themes.

Shook - Shook