You can’t have a cookout without good food and you can’t have a pool party without a swimming pool, but those things are never enough to keep the party going. After awhile, bellies get full and people want to dry off. The only way to keep them enthused all night long is to have some good ass music. The summer isn’t here quite yet, but we’re getting prepared early.

5) Robin Thicke ft. Pharell & T.I. – “Blurred Lines”

Only an expert or a drunken fool could find a way to twerk to “Blurred Lines,” but partying isn’t only about twerking. While the video is NSFW, the song itself is socially acceptable anywhere. The subdued, calm vocals and upbeat instrumental are perfect for creating that flirty atmosphere where people can mingle casually without feeling pressured because everyone around them is grinding in a drunken frenzy. Plus, it’s a Robin Thicke song so you can play it at your mom’s barbecue without causing a controversy.

4) A$AP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Bird Nam Nam – “Wild For the Night”

“Fuckin Problems” is out, but don’t count out the man behind it. “Wild For the Night” sits at the intersection of things that are really in right now: Skrillex and deep voices. The song can get a little dull toward the end, but a good DJ will craft the playlist in a way that keeps the energy alive.

3) Major Lazer ft. Elephant Man & Opal – Wind Up

This song is all over the place, but only because it wants you to be. Be warned: this is not a party starter. If you play this too early, your guests will eat all of the hot wings and depart, posthaste! This is a song that should be played right before the party meets its peak. Few things on your playlist will be able to match it, we assure you.

2) Danny Brown x Trampy – “Express Yourself”

This is not the “Express Yourself” by N.W.A. that you know and love. Full capabilities will be shown, but not on the microphone. Danny Brown is doing some serious work right now when it comes to making people #turnup. His screeching voice can’t be handled by all, so some people will stop dancing, but for the people who know what’s up, insanity will ensue. Make sure no one is on or near the pool ledge. There will be elbows.

1) TNGHT – “Acrylics”

It takes a resilient DJ to drop “Acrylics” at a party. There will be hateful stares and some people will even approach the DJ booth shouting, “What the fuck is this?!” but be strong, oh brave one. When that beat drops so will panties, inhibitions, frowns and boxers. Exercise caution.

The post 5 Potential Summer Anthems appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Laura June Kirsch

On “Where My Money,” Royce da 5’9 asks a provocative question: “Now who gives a fuck about who bars the hardest/When the DJs think they’re bigger stars than the artists?” There is no clear answer to this question, but its premises are useful. Royce thinks that DJs are stepping out of line and becoming too self-important. That might be true, but given the reception of TNGHT’s recent performance at Webster Hall, the recent growing popularity of DJs seems to be less of a collective shift in DJs’ egoism and more of a collective shift in what fans actually want to hear (and do) at concerts.

“Fans of what?” you may ask. This is precisely where TNGHT gets tricky. Though the duo is signed to Warp Records, the members – Lunice and Hudson Mohawke – have affiliations with LuckyMe, Night Slugs and G.O.O.D. Music. They also have roots in the underground scenes of Montreal and Glasglow, their respective cities of origin. Finally, making things even more complicated is their role in popularizing the revival of trap, the formerly waning and currently vibrant musical aesthetic of early 2000s Southern hip-hop. Because they sit at this peculiar intersection of disparate scenes and sounds, the only way to genuinely answer who their fans are is tautological:  fans of TNGHT are fans of TNGHT.

A woman next to me asked, “Is this hip-hop?” Yes, but it’s also something else. Lunice formerly claimed that the aim of TNGHT is to dive “straight into mainstream rap music,” but there’s no way to comfortably call what they’re doing just hip-hop. The fact that the question is even posed speaks volumes.

Their music speaks volumes as well. Many volumes, in fact. Their set is characterized purely by peaks and troughs. Dancing to their music is like interval training on a stationary bike. “ACRYLICS,” their latest single, embodies this mark most vividly. The song oscillates between dreamy twinkles and explosive synths and bass. “Explosive” is the key word here because there is no real build-up: the peaks just happen. The only thing that sustains you in between these highs and lows is pure anticipation. It’s interesting to see this play out live. Anticipating the highs, people stopped dancing and longingly stared at Lunice and Hudmo for direction. They really didn’t know what to do! Other people complained: they wanted to dance non-stop. (Translation: they wanted to hear what they wanted to hear)

Their complaints weren’t unheard. TNGHT loves to play with the audience’s expectations, but they were not authoritarian. If anything, they were fairly obliging. Although the songs they make embody the disparate traditions that they skillfully patch together – “Higher Ground” is the example par excellence –  they were willing to please their constituents one demographic at a time. While Lunice’s “Panera Bread” pleased the hip-hoppers at the expense of everyone else, it was balanced by a later nod to the EDMers, with “Treat Me Right” by Keys N Krates.

While the music spoke and the audience spoke back, the stars of the show were rather mute. Sure, Lunice occasionally got up from his swivel chair – yes, he had a chair – and madly directed the crowd like some sort of crazed classical conductor, but there was no further communication; Hudmo was behind his computer the entire time. They probably didn’t even have microphones. Still, they were the main attraction. This kind of self-effacement stands in direct opposition to the DJs that Royce mentions and perhaps that’s why TNGHT is so damn likeable: at the end of the day they’re all about the music. There were no audio watermarks saying, “TNGHT made it” or some other quickly annoying phrase. Their trademark is simply the music itself. And that’s precisely why TNGHT has made it.

The post Concert Review: TNGHT Perfects DJing at Webster Hall appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.