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Dragnet

Dragnet #4: New Music From Alexander Nut, Patten And Teengirl Fantasy
Kev Kharas , April 29th, 2009 07:34

Cruising the web for brain-crippling kicks

Our latest sortie out towards the peripheries rewards us with Alexander Nut's fusing of new beat heavens, Patten's clattering, (p)un(k)-funk thrust and the kaleidoscopic ecstasy of Teengirl Fantasy.

Photo by Shan Phearon at Better Never Than Late

Alexander Nut – FACT Mix 44
(via FACT)

Rinse FM DJ Alexander Nut's mix for FACT is a late-night ramble through new beat heavens, plotting the co-ordinates between the dub-jazz wonk of LuckyMe's Nadsroic and the luger bass drive of Martyn's 'Seventy Four', jetpacking it from the spoken concern of Noah D and Newham Generals to the sublime fizz of Dragnet #3 star Floatingpoints. Nut's in severe danger of carving out his own niche – to call him a wonky(notwonky), tech-house-bass-step, grime, hip-hop-house DJ isn't exactly pig cold catchy, so best check his weekly Mixed Nuts show at Rinse for further study. Mostly FACT Mix 44 features the splitting offspring of splitting pioneers – young artists whose own music transcends easy hybridization to become one big personal meditation on the labours of recent, unclassifiable beat greats. Theo Parrish. Flying Lotus. J Dilla. You know the score by now, surely?

Patten – 'Version'
(via 20jazzfunkgreats, No Pain In Pop)

The oddest and thus best thing about Patten's 'Version' is that if you break it down it's actually very familiar - there throughout and most prominent is the familiar punk-funk beat Liquid Liquid used to stomp to, while in the background ferrous orbs swell like the bloating of This Heat's machinated innards. The track has a brazen industrial determination to it – hear the feedback flaring up around the two-minute mark – but ex-girl/ex-boy vocals intone with a deathly anonymity, blessing 'Version' with something gothic and unknown (a prettiness, even). Built from loops like all the best, a finished take may or may not be forthcoming from the London outfit, but a free download of this 'test mixxx' can be got at here.

Photo by Josh Sisk

Teengirl Fantasy – TGIF EP
(via Pukekos)

Teengirl Fantasy have been plying all those in possession of the necessary extra brain parts with their ultra-fine, synaesthetic, sprawling club jams for a while now and this four-track EP collects some of the best. 'Portofino' appeared on the Oberlin, Ohio duo's recent debut 7” for Merok, while the globular house of 'Now That's What I Call Volume 2' and 'Azz Klapz' have been beloved of the 'blogs since last year. 'Floor to Floor' is the newest one in the set, its wordless vocal cries eventually succumbing to post-generic dance gloop in a manner that's fast becoming typical of Teengirl, the thing shifted along on sedate, gauzy synths that seem etched upon the flush n' thrust of their music like ecstatic rotoscopes. TF's Nick Weiss recently put this mix together for the blessed folk at Dublab and he and dance partner Logan Takahashi will play US shows with These Are Powers, Lucky Dragons and Telepathe over the coming months.