At the time of the death of Bernard Stiegler, a magnificent thinker of technology and of the contemporary world crossed by the mechanical production of desires in our bodies generated by the mechanisms of integrated capitalism, at a time when everywhere you look, everything continues not to stop collapsing, at a time when everywhere, the temperature is between 30 and 45 degrees Celsius, we cannot, however, say that the summer is either rich or poor of very noticeable releases (except for Aya Nakamura’s bangers).
Overall since we are in the post-confinement era, we can be surprised to see that nothing does really seem to change or happen that is completely new, even if it is not really a surprise. Personally I was expecting an avalanche of crazy releases, but no, we are merely crossing a plateau.
I’m exaggerating, there was still that magnificent 2000’s pop dance song by Thanas, “Attends,” which succeeded where Darude stumbles a bit, to produce a 2000s pop hit that has digested 2020 and the internet.
In short, we lack hits, but in this period neither better nor worse than any another, in this plateau where everything is worth the same, there are some very interesting thrills like this little EP Stimulus, which makes two godfathers of hybrid club meet: the undisputed production & dj sets masters which have been undeniably influent for almost ten years – Nguzunguzu – and the visionary Dominican Republic rapper Maluca. A meeting of the kind that only New York knows how to create them.
So on one side we have a rapper who, among other things, sang for Diplo and released a few songs on his Mad Decent label, and on the other side, the pioneers of electronic revival, Nguzunguzu, pillars of Fade To Mind.
The first time we came across Maluca, more than ten years ago, it was during this hit single “El Tigueraso” produced by Diplo. A song that is still in our USB keys, ultimate and timeless secret 160BPM weapon. A single on which we also found a very good remix of… Nguzunguzu.
Back to our news. The funny thing about Stimulus, it that it is indeed an EP made between the two artists and not an assembly of different pieces composed by each of them. Another funny thing is that the EP is almost entirely sung in Spanish which is really pleasing us at Couvre x Chefs. Such collaboration also reminds us of the reggaeton banger “Vernáculo” sung by Maluca on the (unfortunately) only album of the supergroup Future Brown (Nguzunguzu + J-Cush + Fatima Al Qadiri, Warp, 2015).
Overall, Stimulus could have been released in 2010, but maybe not with this level of hybridity. Rather, it was the perfect moment for our permanently brewing music world. There, we really feel mastery in the productions, Stimulus goes on like a mixtape and it gains strength. To define the style of the EP you could say Hybrid Club / R’n’B / Rap. And that’s good enough to dive into it. In any case, we are not necessarily far from certain productions of Bad Gyal but more hybridized, and also not too far from the last productions of the master of R’n’B Kingdom himself whose last track called “No More Same” which was produced with LUVK who sings on it (it is an absolute banger).
There is not necessarily more to say about Stimulus, it has the merit of deserving its title and of having us pushed a little out of a long slump without musical joy on a personal basis.
And bonus, the digital purchase of the EP will allow you to take concrete action for two more than important things in this troubling and troubled time, to help black trans women and men in the United States, and to allow victims of the explosion of Beirut to receive basic necessities.
