Bonzai’s new EP Sleep Hungry is a bricolage of club sounds
One of the Nialler9 New Artists of 2016 and a Mura Masa collaborator, the Dublin-raised / American-born / London-based Bonzai (most recently on ‘What If I Go?’) has released her latest EP on Mura Masa’s Anchor Point records.
Annie Mac trailed the release by appointing ‘No Rest’ as her Hottest Record In The World yesterday and the nine-track EP Sleep Hungry dropped today, the followup to Royah EP.
A bricolage of beats, bass and club sounds, the 19 year-old’s EP draws influence from rap, grime, dubstep, acid, techno and D&B and operates at a high-tempo.
Production comes from John Calvert, Royce Wood Junior and Mura Masa.
From the drum and bass menace pop of ‘Stepping’, the acid squelch of The Prodigy Jilted-Generaton-esque ‘No Rest’, gunshot Squarepusher-electro of ‘Kassi’ Bonzai marks herself apart by drawing on UK club culture past and juxtaposing it with bass and rap music of now.
Bonzai’s Irish connection?
Bonzai was born in Indiana to a jazz singer mother and raised in Wicklow, near Dublin, by a drummer father. She moved to London at 17 to start a music degree at Tech School & after being spotted by Native Management began taking things seriously as a solo artist. She fell upon her sound through sessions with John Calvert and Mura Masa where they encouraged her to mix up styles as much as she could.
Live Dates
Mar 30th London Electrowerkz (headline) <Sold Out>
Apr 5th Manchester Deaf Institute (supporting Mura Masa) <Sold Out>
Apr 6th Nottingham The Bodega Social (supporting Mura Masa) <Sold Out>
Apr 7th London Anchor Point Label Party, Oval Space <Sold Out>
Apr 8th Bristol The Exchange (supporting Mura Masa) <Sold Out>
Apr 15th Paris Café La Danse (supporting Mura Masa)
May 19th Brighton The Green Door Store, The Great Escape
Buy links:
iTunes/Apple
Spotify
Google Play
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.