Friday, September 5, 2008

Free Noize: Goonda



Last year I was doing a DJ gig at New York's Kush Lounge when graphic designer and champion of the global groove scene, Sank aka DimmSummer of Ethnotechno introduced me to DK. I was familiar with DK's work through her remix of Karsh Kale's "Empty Hands" on Karsh's Redesign record. I had always liked that unique and quirky mix but for some reason I had no idea that DK was in fact a woman, causing a moment of slight disorientation upon first meeting her.

Since that night, DK (also known as Bollygirl) has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Cenzo to unleash their Goonda project on an unsuspecting world. I love the duo's fresh, bass driven, soundclash approach and am thrilled to be able to share a track with you all.

GOONDA is a NYC-based production / remixer duo who have forged a partnership based on a mutual love for music, mash-ups, mirugai and muroka. Tune up your your mahruti… coz this crew rolls deep and heavy in their Amby Classic ret to blaze your inner ear pure GOONDA-ishtylz…HORN OK Please!

Having been hatched four years ago in some of New York City’s most progressive and innovative clubs, AVZ—fueled by 2 of the 3 co-founders (DK aka) Bollygirl and Cenzo, the duo that is GOONDA—was created with one goal in mind: good music… no borders… no boundaries. During their four-year tenure, the residents curated events that people look forward to, exploring electronic and live music with guest emcees, visual art, live paintings and a gathering of some of the finest musicians around. AVZ which comes from the Sanskrit word for sound, noise or vibration, facilitated a cocoon for creators of any medium…from this pure vision emerged the definitive GOONDA sound. DimmSummer of Ethnotechno, resident-in-charge of branding and aesthetics represents-at-large on the graphic side for this one!

And yet, within the “borderless” tagline, there is consistency. That common thread is well represented on the GOONDA debut two-disc compilation, Third World Radio. The underlying sonic foundation laid by DK and Cenzo, who weave and craftily manipulate a host of indigenous sounds , on disc two, open their compositions up to remixing friends. The bazaar is an exchange post, where deals are haggled, refined and finally made. This is the Avaaz/GOONDA credo—things may take a little finessing and fine-tuning, but it’s always a group effort, and all voices are represented equally.

Listening to this album, you have the feeling that a new language is being created in the global city of New York. In fact, the co-producers have coined the term—Goondaism: redefining the cultural landscape by any means necessary. They have taken the “GOONDA” term which usually denotes thugness or gangster qualities into the studio and transcended it into their sound. And while they cite it as a “genre-defying blend of indo-indie beats,” there are so many more vistas that are opened before you, sonic landscapes and worlds unfolding, that simply going along for the ride makes you feel like you’ve been involved since the very beginning.

Her story: DK aka BOLLYGIRL. Mumbai-born, raised in Queens, New York, a classical hindi film fanatic- think Hunterwalli to Sholay, this Bollygirl grew up loving Asha Bhosle, Public Enemy, R.D. Burman, Queen and Led Zeppelin. Making her own beats and tracks on anything she could get her hands on in the early days – Tascam Portastudio, Juno60, SP-1200 or her MPC3000, she is known to deftly rock a MIC as with OmZone and on tracks for her producer-heroes Ming+FS. AVZ resident dj/producer who has often traveled through India with an activist’s heart, omgirl optimism and a mini-DV cam, now resonates those stored emotive motherland memories through decibels of her compositions @ High Chai Lab, alongside her musical cohort, Cenzo. (On the horizon: PROPAGANDHA featuring IKON? – DK collaborates with Patriarch Recording’s FS aka the arch cupcake)

His story: Cenzo aka RUBBER GOODS. This resident New Yorker and multi-instrumentalist, mistakenly dubbed Rubber Goods by none other than Frank Zappa has composed music since his piano recital at Carnegie Hall at the tender age of 6. Weaned on everything from classical music to dub to punk to rock, Cenzo holds down fiercely be it at his Pro Tools console, on his minimoog, or virtual reality of Reason plug-ins, mashing-it-up at High Chai Lab where the GOONDA magic is created.

Get the FREE download here



DK Bollygirl














Cenzo aka RUBBER GOODS


www.goondamusic.com

http://www.myspace.com/goondamusic

GOONDA AMAZON BUY LINK:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001BVWG2W/ethnotechno-20

1 comment:

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GOONDA is a NYC-based production / remixer duo who have forged a partnership based on a mutual love for music, mash-ups, mirugai and muroka. Tune up your your mahruti… coz this crew rolls deep and heavy in their Amby Classic ret to blaze your inner ear pure GOONDA-ishtylz…HORN OK Please!