#wang wy

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'CLRS' by Yung Tzar is a deep and dark trap banger that delivers some serious fire without taking itself too seriously.

Wang WY

“CLRS” by Yung Tzar is a deep and dark trap banger that delivers some serious fire without taking itself too seriously. An addictive listen, it is perhaps the sensitivity that hides under its mysterious, sinister surface that makes “CLRS” so charming. 

— Wang WY, producer/musician: Yllis @yllisuniverse and MONSTER CAT@MONSTERCATBAND, Singapore 

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Recommended by Wang WY

Read Wang’s recommendation

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Recommended by Wang WY

Read Wang’s recommendation

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Their examination of the post-internet world resonates with powerful religious undertones.

Wang WY on Flanch

Comparisons to Arca are inevitable when listening to FLANCH, and the close approximation of style and textures is perhaps the only immediately bothersome thing when listening to the self-titled debut. However, upon deeper inspection, one realizes that FLANCH has imbued their tracks with a wealth of substance that goes beyond their fluid, metallic (and highly impressive) production. 

While Arca melts sound to explore sensuality and identity within the individual, FLANCH's sonic deconstruction seems more focused on one's relationship with something eternal. Their examination of the post-internet world resonates with powerful religious undertones, masterfully woven into a fabric and narrative that is both compelling and strikingly sincere. There are some great rhythmic and melodic moments throughout the album that definitely make it a superb listen. "Ble$$ings" is a great example, but I'd urge you check out the full record.

— Wang WY, producer/musician: Yllis @yllisuniverse and MONSTER CAT@MONSTERCATBAND, Singapore

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Recommended by Wang WY

Read Wang’s recommendation  

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Our latest expert-curated Spotify playlist is presented to us by Wang WY, Singaporean musician and next-wave electronic music aficionado. Titled Sino Neo-Futurism, it’s a collection of futuristic electronic music, inspired in different ways by the Far East. His words on the mix add a fascinating intellectual dimension to the listening experience: 

This playlist explores tendencies in modern music that use Chinese melodies, sonic textures and language/culture to express a futuristic aesthetic. Such a trend no doubt has its roots in Sinogrime, a subgenre that evolved from the UK grime scene in the early 2000s. Artists like Jammer, Wiley and Wookie started incorporating into their music pentatonic melodies associated with traditional oriental music as well as sounds that had timbres which mimicked traditional Chinese instruments. As writer Dan Hancox wrote: "Around 2002-3, with Garage crumbling and the cement still drying on Grime as a genre, a few producers in E3 suddenly lurched further east than they ever had before ... Grime is situated in the future aesthetically, musically - and perhaps embedded in Sinogrime is a sort of intuition about where the future lies, geo-politically."

Now, quite a few years later, while Sinogrime still remains an underground genre, its influence as a futuristic aesthetic can be seen in a lot of the most exciting, experimental, and boundary-pushing electronic music of today. And as grime melds together with dancehall rhythms and the PC music of a post-internet world, it seems the term "Sinogrime" might be a little too narrow. Included in this playlist are also tracks by practitioners from China (and the larger Chinese diaspora). The use of the "Chinese" sound by Western artists can at times seem kitsch and Orientalist, and it is perhaps important to consider how these "futuristic" tendencies have manifested themselves in modern China, in a scene that is no doubt influenced by the West, which, in turn, is increasingly being influenced by the East. The point of considering the differences or similarities isn't "authenticity" —after all the music of the future is the music of a globalized culture. The point is, if Chinese music is to have a place in such a culture and in such a music, then perhaps now is the perfect time to consider how. 

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Wang WY

Producer / Musician: Yllis @yllisuniverse / MONSTER CAT @MONSTERCATBAND, Singapore

#experimental pop  #hip-hop  #electronic

Fidlar - "If It Makes You Happy" ft. Cheryl Kro

I was having a really bad week and then this came along and stuck its finger up my bum and made me giggle. If you haven't heard it yet, it's definitely worth taking five minutes out of your day to hit play. Sometimes, the things we don't look for find us at the right moment.