As promised in this week’s slim but fighting-weight paper, we’re continuing to round up new local releases we missed while all hell broke loose, alongside brand-new drops to stream in quarantine. We’ve got a chill edition in the pipeline, but we’re needing the hype vibes just this second, so let’s drop the needle here:
Remember March 4, when we made this big cover-story fuss about how the MAISON FAUNA crew was about to turbo-charge Durham’s club-music scene? That was a real heartbreaker. The coronavirus nixed the debut of the weekly DECIDUUS party at The Fruit, but the new brand is bravely going on in the form of the DECIDUUS Weekly Mix.
The first one dropped last Friday and features an hour of creamy deep-house joy by Murad Dwell. And stay tuned for news on the Maison Fauna record label, another part of the endeavor that can go on while parties are turned off.
In last week’s issue, we were inspired by speaking with Durham musician A.YONI JEFFRIES about how she was staying strong as the coronavirus crisis wiped out her freelance income and delayed the release of the album she’s working on at Durham’s Playground Studios. Life truly goes on: On Tuesday, Jeffries dropped a vibrant new single and video from the album, “Respect the Hussle.” A thoughtful tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, its soothing bounce and its quest to “clear some mental space” land just right in this particular moment. Check it on YouTube:
No stranger to INDY readers, Raleigh electro-funk maestro BOULEVARDS dropped a new jam today with perennial music-making partner La Roux. “Too Far” is distinctly yeehaw agenda, with Jamil Rashad strapping on Stetson hat and denim jacket and boot-scooting his way through a ropy arrangement of shimmering keys and prickling electric guitar. So much fun:
Contact arts and culture editor Brian Howe at bhowe@indyweek.com.
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