Scion A/V Presents: BIG FREEDIA

Big Freedia, the Queen Diva of New Orleans Bounce, has been touring the country with DJ Rusty Lazer, burning up thighs and making every night feel like it’s the last party in the Parish. Freedia’s a magnanimous ambassador, a creator who draws on warp speed beats and hundreds of years of Creole call and response chants to make something raw and familiar. The hard work and countless gigs are paying off, and Freedia’s undeniable talent and charisma, as found on this EP, is bound to expand her fan base far beyond the Fifth Ward.

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1. “Almost Famous”

Freedia shows her lyrical dexterity right out of the gate, turning the familiar trope of calling out haters into a public relations lesson on succès de scandale. Though its hard to imagine how anyone would criticize someone who calls on the people to “toot that thang up, make me famous.”

2. “Excuse”

“Excuse” is a slightly more polite high-tempo plea for dance floor insanity. It’s impossible to hear the clattering drum machines and Freedia’s fervent entreaties and not get loose. In other words, be careful taking this EP on the bus.

3. “It’s A Shame (Crazy Big Dunkey)”

While Chicago juke focuses on lightning fast footwork and Baltimore club is all about crazy, New Orleans bounce is all about the backside. Just work any kind of dunkey (crazy big, itty bitty, it doesn’t matter) and let “It’s A Shame” burrow into your brain.

4. “Let It Go Nah”

Outside of the occasional commercial appropriations of the sound, New Orleans bounce has always been associated with a lo-fi, rock-the-block-but-not-the-radio aesthetic. But maybe not for long. On “Let it Go Nah,” Freedia not only keeps it FCC clean, but produces an auto-tuned ode to ambition and, of course, letting go on the dance floor. It wouldn’t sound out of place on the Top 40 radio station in any town.

5. “Look At Her”

“Look at Her” starts with a simple question: “Ya’ll Ready?” You’ve now had four songs and over fourteen minutes to get with Freedia’s program, so the answer better be, “Yes.”

Scion A/V Remix: RHONDA INTERNATIONAL

Rhonda International is the new record label outgrowth of A Club Called Rhonda, the already legendary Los Angeles club night, and now the first release from Rhonda International comes through a partnership with Scion A/V. A Club Called Rhonda helped build its reputation by booking and resurrecting legends from the house, disco and techno world, but for Rhonda International they’ve drawn from the young talent in the crowd, since the party people themselves are equally responsible for their success. The song “Return to Me” is a collaboration between B.C. (a pair of young vocalists) and Delivery (a pair of emerging producers), creating a quartet of young Los Angeles artists with currently few credits to their names, but all destined for attention.

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1. “Return To Me”

“Return to Me” is an example of the unapologetic, full-on vocal house that Rhonda was built on. It’s brimming with the worked up, extra emotional energy that the party is known for. And since this is Rhonda, of course “Return to Me” pays tributes to the dance ancestors, as the song was overseen by ’90s house music legend MK.

2. “Return to Me (GODDOLLARS Remix)”

GODDOLLARS, one of A Club Called Rhonda’s resident DJs, goes to piano house mode with an off-kilter strut on this remix. There’s plenty of stuttered squelches to jerk to on this one.

3. “Return to Me (Art of Tones Returning Mix)”

French knob twiddler Art of Tones goes classic Trax on this bouncy, Larry Heard-inspired remix. Against this colder production, this version of “Return to Me” takes on an added sense of urgency and intensity.

4. “Return to Me (Munk Remix)”

Munk drops perhaps the poppiest remix on this EP, translating “Return to Me” into a proper, celebratory mid-tempo jam. Munk’s live keys mix perfectly with B.C.’s yearning vocals.

5. “Return to Me (SFVacid Remix)”

As the name implies, this is an acid-heavy, ramped down undressing of the original track, evoking the late ’80s in Chicago and early ’90s in the UK. The pitched-down vocals and the slow-mo house chords make this a perfect chugger for either a warm up or cool down.

6. “Return to Me (Art of Tones Returning Dub)”

It was almost unheard of for dance 12-inches from the ’80s or early ’90s not to have a dub version—an alternate take with little-to-no vocals. Dance music dubs are a rarity these days, but Rhonda and Art of Tones hope to bring the tradition back.

Scion A/V Garage: HUMAN EYE / SEX BEET

With new songs from Human Eye and Sex Beet on the latest blast from the Garage 7” series, prepare to be transported by both vets and rookies from the world of garage rock. Led by interplanetary hero Timmy Vulgar, Human Eye returns to familiar strange territory on “Martian Queen.” The song’s a flight across the cosmos soundtracked by psychedelic guitar and other-worldly noise. Then there’s Sex Beet, a crew of young English travelers, who surf in on organ sounds and start-stop tension with “Alone.” Jangled and antsy, you won’t be able to stop yourself from moving.

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Scion A/V Remix: JUAN ATKINS

Godfather of techno Juan Atkins continues his lifelong dedication to the genre he founded by harnessing its alien sounds and pushing his brand of futurism on the dancefloor. These three new, heavily layered tracks are abstract works of art that you can dance to. In turn, the remixers have pushed Atkins’ tracks to more experimental, more organic and more poppier places. It’s a perfect set of sounds for whatever part of the galaxy you’re listening in.

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1. “Marz”

Juan Atkins uses four main ingredients on this spiraling, off-kilter space jam: clanging tones, a militaristic drum machine, swarming synths and a propulsive, rubbery bassline. This main room whopper has the low end to move the crowd and the acidic neurosis to melt minds.

2. “Dayshift”

Despite its title, “Dayshift’ sees Atkins delve deeper into the underground as he incorporates more of the wub-wub-wub of dubstep and future bass. The meticulously chosen sounds amount to a dramatic, moody whole, a perfect early morning anthem. Its string swells and curious synth lines invite sunlight.

3. “Summer In The City”

“Summer In The City” squeaks and squelches like an old dial up modem in space, sending faxes back to the dancefloor. Listen as Atkins takes his time, seemingly deconstructing and tweaking every element of the song, before returning to the main benevolent groove, bending it without breaking it wide open.

4. “Dayshift (Terrence Dixon Remix)”

Terrence Dixon takes the outerspace nature of the original and magnifies it tenfold. He loops its synth lines, overlapping and phasing them to disorienting effect, while adding ominous soft strings and a steampunk’s sound bank. The only human symbol emerges towards the end when the chant “I won’t stop” appears before being digitally degraded.

5. “Marz (Worthy Remix)”

Worthy twists the patterns of the Atkins’ original into a techno-cumbia bounce anthem. Its robust bassline and syncopated programming anchor it through its acidy flourishes. It’s a real smile-inducing, crowd activating rerub.

6. “Dayshift (Oliver’s Nightshift Remix)”

Oliver gives “Daylight” an electro boogie funk rework, straight from ‘84. He flips the paranoia of the original onto its positive side, replete with a vocoded hook, shimmering keys and a clap track.

Scion A/V Remix: THE DIRTBOMBS

For their Party Store album (due this winter on In The Red), venerated garage rockers The Dirtbombs recorded covers of techno classics from their native Detroit. As if this live-band-does-electronic-music interpretation wasn’t high concept enough, this EP takes it a step further by having Detroit techno artists re-digitize the results to create their own remixes of The Dirtbombs’ versions. Phew!

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1. “Sharevari (Omar S Remix)”

A misfit of Detroit’s new techno vanguard, Omar S toned down the thump-kick of The Dirtbombs’ cover in favor of a far more slinkier, sinister treatment. Listen closely and you’ll hear the allure of the glamorous life flickering by.

2. “Jaguar (Ectomorph Remix)”

For their interpretation of The Dirtbombs’ “Jaguar” (originally recorded by Carl Craig), Ectomorph stepped on the breaks and circled the sound. By eliminating the guitar, the song becomes an almost meditative affair.

3. “Bug In The Bassbin (Kyle Hall Remix)”

Taking on The Dirtbombs’ 22-minute version of Innerzone Orchestra’s “Bug In The Bassbin,” Kyle Hall dubs it down and filters it out, but still keeps it dynamic. While The Dirtbombs made the song sound like a spacey jam session at the tail end of a long set, Hall’s version is like powering down after a few laps around the stratosphere.

4. “Sharevari (Original Dirtbombs Version)”

This is The Dirtbombs’ original cover of A Number of Names’ “Sharevari.” The beat may not be as boogie-ish, but the charming faux-cosmopolitanisms and insistent hook remain. Incredibly stylish, however you play it.

Scion A/V Garage: STRANGE BOYS / NATURAL CHILD

Strange Boys and Natural Child, both leaders of modern southern garage rock, lend their off-kilter touch to two new twangy tracks for the Scion A/V Garage 7” series. Texas’ Strange Boys stretch their stylistic muscles for “American Radio,” reproducing a mish-mash of sounds from decades past. In under just five minutes, the group shuffles through subgenrical blasts including swamp rock, kooky reggae and harmonica boogie, with only the sound of tuner static to separate these excursions. On the much briefer “The Jungle,” Nashville’s Natural Child present a stripped-down sing-along with unified voices and warm acoustic strumming. The nostalgic lyrics call upon iconic American images, like boxcar travelers and Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.

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