Jessy Lanza with DJ Taye & Jimi Jaxon at The Crocodile

Wednesday 6/22/16
Disco Droppings & The Crocodile Present:
JESSY LANZA
DJ Taye
Jimi Jaxon
CTPAK Film Crew Live Visuals
$13 ADV
8pm Doors
All-Ages + Bar w/I.D.
At The Crocodile

Jessy Lanza
Jessy Lanza’s second album ‘Oh No’ is addressed to her own constant nervousness. The pressure of music making, which used to calm her nerves, has led to a whole new world of contingencies that stoke the anxiety mill. The exclamation ‘Oh No’, for Jessy, marks yet another incident of randomness interrupting her tranquillity. All of which seems at odds with the confidence and spontaneity of this second album as well as recent collaborationswith the likes of Caribou, DJ Spinn and Morgan Geist and his Galleria project.

Made in her hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, with production partner Jeremy Greenspan from Junior Boys, the plaintive, reverb drizzled mood of the first album has all but given away to a more direct, self-assured and joyful album. As with many artists whose hometown lie off the usual network of cultural hotspots, ‘Oh No’ is driven positively by the idea of making music that isn’t inspired by where she lives. Instead, the album resonates more with the philosophy of experimental pop of Japanese 80s electro outfit Yellow Magic Orchestra and Jessy’s breathless, pitched vocals are reminiscent of YMO collaborator Miharu Koshi. Playfully laced with cascading arpeggios, crispy drum machines and breezy songs, ‘Oh No’ has an infectious energy that has been brewing in her live shows since her first album. As Jessy says ‘I want to make people feel good and I want to make myself feel good’.

The album oscillates between the languid, coiled, arpeggiated slow jams of ‘New Ogi’, ‘GoingSomewhere’, ‘Begins’, ‘Could be u’, ‘I Talk BB’ and the low slung 808 groove of ‘Vivaca’, where Jessy’s vocal gymnastics run wild over minimal drums and synths, and the catchy upbeat boogie of ‘VV Violence’, ‘Never Enough’, ‘OhNo’ and the high point of ‘It Means I Love You” which has a sparse addictive bounce with a pitched up vocal refrain and a nod to Shangaan electro.

The trials of dealing with nervousness are also encrypted into the artwork, such as the plants that recur in the sleeve and videos.As Jessy remarked, “I became obsessed with surrounding myself with tropical plants. I’ve been convinced that the air quality in our house is slowly killing us. It might sound crazy but the plants have made a huge difference.”

Anxiety and botanical remedies or not, ‘Oh No’ is a bold second album from Jessy and a marked step forward for her sound. Catch her as shetours with Junior Boys in February, plays EU headline shows from May to June, and in July has a North American Tour.

DJ Taye
In a city filled with young talent, Teklife’s youngest member, DJ Taye. reigns the most unique out of the rest in his generation making music in Chicago . Hailing from the south side and south suburbs, standing out didn’t take much for Taye. A member of the worlds finest clique of Footwork Dj’s since 2010, producing and rapping since the age of 11, and DJing since 12, Every release, album, EP, as time goes on, seems to evolve more in more within the soul of an inspired and self motivated footwork pioneer. Trunk-rattling bass, neck-snapping riddums, all influenced from hip-hop, club, four-to-the-floor dance music, house, with sample varieties ranging to the latest trends to 90’s rap, 80’s disco and funk, even 70’s soul music. Traveling the world and letting every soul feel the energy that Teklife has to offer, is his daily mission. Teklife Or No Life.

Jimi Jaxon
Fierce, subversive, bold. Using descriptors like these, instead of merely listing genres gives a clue into Jimi Jaxon’s mindset. His work as an artist is more about the energy, more about presenting sounds that connect with him most. This approach has him pulling from a wide range of genres and styles, depending on the environment. Everything from Techno to Experimental, Juke, House, Ambient, Dubstep, 2-Step, Drum & Bass, Garage, Funk, Disco, Rock and Hip-Hop can appear in his sets. His style is for those with an open mind and an urge to move. Past resident for Decibel Festival, opening showcases for Bok Bok, Machinedrum, Jimmy Edgar, Clark, Mount Kimbie, DJ Rashad, Kode 9 and more. He heads the Disco Droppings blog and 7 Deadly Records, where his original productions and remixes can be found.