King Mono - Bump In The Night (Tummy Touch)

King Mono is the band / production duo of Little Shalimar (né Torbitt Schwartz) and Jeremy Wilms. The two met doing time in the rhythm section of the legendary afrobeat unit Antibalas. In the early 2000s they founded the sophisticated disco-soul machine Chin Chin who put out two records on the now defunct Definitive Jux record label. Combining elements of funk, RnB, house, dance hall, hip hop, and '70s big beat rock, King Mono’s sound should be welcomed by fans of other genre bending futurists like Pharrell Williams and Little Dragon.

Their debut album, Bump In The Night, is set to make its mark on Tummy Touch and features vocals from RnB breakout singer Jesse Boykins III. The album embraces their quirky electronic impulses, modern programming, and psychedelic mushrooms, crafted from a collection of vintage analogue synths and portable drum machines. King Mono gave a taste of their sound with last year’s Straight to VHS EP that picked up steam on Bandcamp and through magazines like FACT and Okayplayer.

Other than the implicative album title, the idea of nighttime as a space to do things that you wouldn’t do during the day lends itself to the experimental and loose “anything goes” vibe of the producers' output. Instrumental tracks like “Big Bass Drum” have an overarching dark, heady vibe that seems more suited a for a solo night drive. Touching more on a song-based structure, "Ointment" skips along in a light and breezy be-bop fashion with fat guitars providing a resonating low end. Organs and keys reign supreme on "Infamous Van" while suggestive lyrics take the listener on a ride through simpler adolescent times. But don't try and relegate this one to the backseat … it needs more room than that.

“Pet Peeves” is Shalimar’s take on a sound inspired by Missy Elliott and Timbaland's mid-2000s collaborations, buoyed by Boykin’s raw vocals -- RnB with cutting edge production and enough style to carry itself into pop territory. It gets a completely new lease on life from Sunrise Highway, the trio of Tim Wagner, Amy Douglas, and Nick Chacona, each with their own strong New York City pedigrees. Atmospheric, sophisticated, broad, layered, and evolving are all accurate descriptors of their work which lies somewhere between Italo-disco and the best of '80s songwriting.

If these peculiar tracks are anything to go off of for the album, then listeners might expect to stumble across some brighter moments of enjoyment on this strange trip through the dark.

Kid Loco - "F%^king great."
Tensnake - "That Sunrise Highway remix of 'Pet Peeves' is top."
Vanilla Ace - "Very funky it's like NERD meets Funkadelic."
Kraak & Smaak - "We like it!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "Nice. This is like Outkast meets Beck. All of these songs are dope."
Ivan Smagghe (It's A Fine Line) - "I love 'Ointment'."
Ilya Santana (Eskimo Recordings) - "That Sunrise Highway remix is very special … nice version."
Roy Dank (Beg to Differ / Wurst Music Co.) - "Cool vibes!"
Telonius (Gomma) - "Tummy Touch is one of my favorite labels … great album!"
Walter Jones (DFA / Under the Shade) - "I love the quirky vibe … nice release."
Robert Lochmann (The Jazzmadass Radioshow) - "A cool, fun, and mysterious sound."
Matt Haze (More SF / Slayers Club) - "It's like Pharrell on mushrooms. 'Pet Peeves' will be great for the warm weather."
Diesler (A Little Something) - "Loving the Sunrise Highway remix -- oh yessss!"
DJ Doubles (Freestyle Fusion) - "An intricate combo of catchy melodies with a feel-good pop mentality … this makes me happy!"

Available now from Juno Download, Amazon, and iTunes.

King Mono - Straight to VHS (Tummy Touch)

King Mono is the band / production duo of Little Shalimar (né Torbitt Schwartz) and Jeremy Wilms. The two met doing time in the rhythm section of the legendary Afrobeat unit Antibalas. In the early 2000s they founded the sophisticated disco soul machine Chin Chin who put out two records on the now defunct Definitive Jux record label. Yearning for an outlet for their more contemporary and quirky electronic impulses they began work on a new series of tunes based around a bunch of analog synths and drum machines, modern programing, and psychedelic mushrooms. Combining elements of funk, RnB, house, dance hall, hip hop, and '70s big beat rock, King Mono’s sound should be welcomed by fans of other genre bending futurists like Pharrell Williams and Little Dragon.

With Shalimar and Wilms' eccentric backgrounds, one must be prepared for their work to reflect this. King Mono's new EP, Straight to VHS, handled by the equally eclectic Tummy Touch label, is off-kilter but hits the mark. As this is in preparation of their forthcoming debut album Bump In The Night, any kind of guess as to what will happen on the full length would be frivolous. Plenty of character abounds on this new EP which serves as a first taste of what's coming with tunes featuring vocal appearances from Tiombe Lockhart, Chico Mann, Micah Gaugh, and -- yes -- David Lee Roth and Notorious B.I.G.. "Tiger Tiger" is the DJs highlight, an electro funk track with sly vocals that exude unequivocal cool all with an '80s sleaze. "Mosca" follows with breakbeat and booty bass wrapped up in Latin flavor. Curveballs like "Corriendo Con El Diablo" and "Can I Get Wit Cha" are thrown in for good effect. A strange twist of salsa and classic American rock, "Corriendo Con El Diablo" is hard to explain, but easy to shake the hips to. Equally surprising, a classic piano swing fit for an old time saloon underlays big hip-hop vocals sure to make "Can I Get Wit Cha" notorious for all those who listen. In addition, the EP also features the bleepy, subdued techno of "Room," once again featuring vocals one would not imagine, this time a disillusioned croon.

ALTZ (Altzmusica / DFA) - “Yeah … super summer breeze!”
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - “This sh%t is mental! Every cut is from its own freaky planet. Looking forward to dropping Mosca in the middle of a house set at an upcoming gig in Buenos Aires. It will either go over massive or there will be a lot of head scratching. Either way, looking forward to it!”
Tony D’Onghia (Radio Koper-Capodistria) - “So strange, it’s brilliant!”
Ennio Styles (Stylin’ Radio Show) - “I miss Chin Chin, so its good to hear a new project from these guys. Tiombe Lockhart, Chico Mann, David Lee Roth and Notorious BIG on one EP … now there’s a lineup!”
Mojo Rising (Cold Busted / F.A.M.I.L.Y.) - “A very unique and diverse release here. The real win for me here is ‘Tiger Tiger’ … funky beat with kick ass bass, and those slinky vocals.”
Niksa Dragolin (Eurostar Radio, Croatia) - “Nice twists, and an interesting combination.”
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show) - “Great fun. It brings back memories of the electroclash days.”
Velanche (Velanche’s Playtime Radio Show) - “Things that just should never go together somehow result in a sly bit of brilliance. This. Is. Great.”
Borja Señorlobo (Lovemonk) - “King Mono rocks!”

Now available as a free download from The Tummy Touch Shop.