The Red Bull Music Academy is a multi-layered conference / marathon studio session / festival / all-out musical extravaganza, celebrating the pioneers of what we call club culture today – and showcase those who will be soundtracking our summer nights in years to come. With the 15th edition currently underway in New York City, we teamed up with them for a series of exclusive mixes by artists from their stellar roster of graduates, covering the full spectrum of electronic dance music and beyond. For this second edition we present a live mix from LA duo Nguzunguzu captured live at the RBMA Stage at the renowned SónarSound Tokyo festival.
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Nguzunguzu specialize in special. A dynamic duo if there ever was one, the tag team of Daniel Piñeda and Academy class of '11 Asma Maroof has been putting in work in the decidedly exotic realms of bass music ever since their inception in 2008. No style is safe from their rhythmic juggernaut, be it hip hop, kuduro, reggaeton, juke or sci-fi house. Not even the everyday-noise backdrop of French railway stations."We played the RBMA stage at Villette Sonique in Paris last year and we took the train there, the SCNF train," reminisces Asma. "I have a few tracks that sample the sound that the train makes when you get off. So when we played those tracks there, I think people were just really surprised to hear us play songs that sampled that. And they loved it, because that's where they're from."Just like the cut-and-paste-and-edit method of their globe-spanning music pastiche, narratives of place and origin are hard to pin down on Nguzunguzu. The two former violonists were both born in Maryland but met in Chicago during their studies at the Art Institute, relocated to Los Angeles to work on their music together, and now spend a lot of time in New York City. "We have a lot of friends there," says Asma. "We have such great parties when we go out there. And honestly we play there more than we play in LA. I don't even know why that is. Maybe people are more receptive to our sound there."It is the same current that has washed L-Vis 1990 unto New York shores, and that has turned the city into somewhat of an unofficial second home for both Night Slugs and Fade To Mind. The Brooklyn bass scene is booming and Asma and Daniel are right there in the middle of it. Currently working on a new EP for Fade To Mind, as well as a joint project with Fatima Al Qadiri and L-Vis, the duo is gearing up for the summer, when their rump-shaking rhythms are bound to unfold their full traction. July will see them hitting Europe, and more tours are in the works.Recently, Nguzunguzu took their first trip out to Japan, to play the Red Bull Music Academy stage at SonarSound Tokyo. Asma has only fond memories of the experience. "It wasn't like a typical festival where people are hella wasted or whatever. People seemed to be in a deeper place, where you're either really vibing to the music or you're eating a hot dog." Most importantly, the crowd was in motion. Asma laughs at her own understated openness as she professes, "I just love when people are dancing." After all, in spite of the reference-riddled and intricate nature of their club constructions, Nguzunguzu are here to make you dance, first and foremost. And they're good at it.Previously: RBMA Mix Series Vol. 1 mixed by xxxy