TNGHT (EP)

Last updated

TNGHT
TNGHTEP.jpg
EP by
ReleasedJuly 23, 2012
Recorded Oxford Street, London
Genre
Length15:49
Label
Producer
TNGHT chronology
TNGHT
(2012)
II
(2019)
Singles from TNGHT
  1. "Higher Ground"
    Released: July 18, 2012 [1]

TNGHT is the self-titled debut extended play of the duo TNGHT, the collaboration of producers Hudson Mohawke and Lunice. Recorded in a London studio in a couple of nights, it was released on the labels Warp and LuckyMe on July 23, 2012.

Contents

TNGHT received critical acclaim. It landed on numerous year-end lists of publications including Pitchfork Media . It was also on the American Billboard charts, debuting at number 180 on the Billboard 200.

Background

Lunice and Hudson Mohawke first met each other in 2008, when the former asked the latter to perform at a show for his Turbo Crunk crew. After a small number of years of the two focusing on their respective solo careers, Lunice decided he should produce much simpler music instead of being "all over the place, trying to push how weird I could get, but the more I continued, the more I wanted to compress and refine my style to a point of, like, 'What if I just made a song out of one snare?' It's natural: After you've been experimenting, you calm down". [2] After hearing Mohawke's remix of Gucci Mane's "Party Animal", in which Mohawke had started doing "really simple, huge, stabbing productions", Lunice met him to show him new material he had been working on, and the two formed TNGHT. [2]

The duo recorded their self-titled extended play in a few days at a very small studio outside of Oxford Street, London, with initially no plans for release. Mohawke described the project as "a proper click", unlike previous collaborations he had done with which he was dissatisfied because it felt "like you're compromising something of yourself in it". [2] In 2012, the duo stated that the instrumentals on the EP were planned to include rappers: "Pretty much all the tracks on the EP are placed with MCs; most of them are gonna have MCs on them at some point, though we can't talk about who those people are at the moment". [2]

Composition

TNGHT was found by some critics to sound more representative of the solo work by Lunice. [3] [4] According to Beats per Minute's Chris Bosman, every song of TNGHT is modeled as, "Take a warped hook or two, bash it into the listeners skull with psychotic glee, add the explosive pyrotechnics of Southern rap beats, and then tear at the seams". [5] Derek Staples of Consequence of Sound described TNGHT as a combination of "regional beats", future garage, and electro similar to the works of Chrissy Murderbot, machinedrum, and Orlando-based producer Big Makk. [6] As a critic for NME wrote, "Chasm-deep 808 basslines bellow beneath spacious marching-band drum grooves, super-sharp snare rolls and quirky snatches of sound, building the tension to near-unbearable levels before collapsing into frenetic, ground-shaking drops". [7] Fact magazine critic Tom Lea analyzed that, for most of the EP, kick and snare sounds "dominate" the drum parts, and noted "Higher Ground" to be the only song on the EP to feature the "rapid-fire hi-hats" typical in trap music. [8] Bosman compared TNGHT to the works of GOOD Music producers Mike Dean and Swizz Beatz, also noting its bass sounds were similar to those present in songs by Hit-Boy and its rhythms resembled those by producer Polow da Don. [5]

Popmatters reviewer David Amidon wrote that TNGHT opens "fairly safely" with "Top Floor", a song "just a few 808 snare trills and pair of ambient dubstep breakdowns away" from music produced by Mr. Bangladesh, and after that, the duo are fast to present "their adventurous side" starting with "Gooooo". [9] "Top Floor" starts "in a bit of warped new-age territory" before quickly turning into a more bass-driven landscape with an almost Arabic-like voice sample in the mix. [3] Tapping into the "gamer nostalgia" of Wonky music, Amidon described "Gooooo" as if "Samus Aran took a seat in the Total Recall chair and was planted in a Matrix-like goth club overseen by Shao Khan". [9] The instrumentation of the song consists of a "keening, 8-bit lead, chanted whoops, death-spiral snare rolls and gabber-grade super saws". [10] Pitchfork Media reviewer Larry Fitzmaurice opined that the "tight tonal coils" on the song "sound like hot knives slashing through metal by its high-anxiety conclusion". [11]

Carving the songs of English trio Nero "to their meatiest elements", [9] as elements including looped handclaps and the signature synth rise of Drumma Boy are present, [11] [9] the bounce and juke-fused [10] "Higher Ground" has only – or "obliterates", as Bosman puts it – two hooks, one with looped second-long female vocal samples and another with a synthesized Southern hip-hop-style "HBCU brass" popping "in and out to steamroll buildings" for humorous purposes. [5] [11] [9] [3] An AOL Instant Messenger-esque sound effect of a cooing baby [9] and "glowing, trance-like synths" [3] are played on "Bugg'n", which was analogized by Amidon as if "Diddy Kong got ahold of a 9MM on the honeycomb levels". [9] TNGHT closes with "Easy Easy", a song led by a "discombobulating synth that should soundtrack an animated version of Black Swan " [5] over samples of broken and smashed windows, looped car crash noises, and gun-cocking sounds used as percussion. [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 83/100 [13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Beats per Minute 86% [5]
Consequence of Sound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Fact 3.5/5 [8]
NME 9/10 [7]
Pitchfork Media 8.5/10 [11]
Popmatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Resident Advisor 4/5 [10]
Spin 8/10 [14]
XLR8R 6/10 [3]

TNGHT garnered critical acclaim upon release. The EP holds an aggregated weighted mean of 83 out of 100 from Metacritic based on nine reviews, [13] while on AnyDecentMusic?, it has an aggregate 7.8 out of ten, also a weighted average. [15] Writing for NME , Jon Cook, scoring it a 9 out of 10, said that listeners were right in having high expectations for TNGHT, noting that songs like "Bugg'n", "Goooo", and "Easy Easy" best display the "oddball brilliance" of the EP. [7] Amidon highlighted that, rather than "playing spot the influence with us or pointing at Atlanta groups like 1017 Brick Squad and Duct Tape Entertainment with ironic laughter", the two combined what was great about their very different styles "into a very synthetic, parasitical whole", calling the EP the year's "most unexpected – and welcome – entry into the club's current infatuation with trap rap's 808 abuse". [9] Deviant, reviewing for Sputnikmusic, had a similar opinion, saying that while collaboration albums can normally be "tiresome affair[s]", the collaboration of Lunice and Hudson Mahawke is a "rare yet perfect duality, where we can still see what each producer has on display but when entwined together it becomes impossible to discern where one ends and the other begins". [12] A review published in Resident Advisor called it "way more clever than your average thuggish bombast". [10]

Some reviewers felt that the group had yet to show more of their potential than what they recorded on TNGHT. These included Larry Fitzmaurice, a critic for Pitchfork Media, who awarded TNGHT the label of "Best New Music" and called it "some of the year's most brazen, positively huge hip-hop sounds". [11] He predicted that the two have "already yielded results so impressive and of-the-moment that it's likely we haven't heard the last of it". [11] Lea shared a similar conclusion, predicting that all of the duo's qualities would be heard on their work with Danny Brown and a remix of a Waka Flocka Flame song. However, while he called TNGHT "big, dumb, and a lot of fun", he also wrote it felt like it was "the start of something great than a great record in itself". [8] Deviant, stating that it "ends before it's even really begun", called it an overall "tremendous and kaleidoscopic introduction to a dream production duo that has already turned heads", but he wrote that only a small part of the duo's imagination shown at their live debut at South by Southwest is present on the record. [12] In a more mixed review, XLR8R critic Glenn Jackson thought the EP has tracks "that are surely bound to prove useful to DJs operating in the more booming regions of 140-plus-bpm fare", but criticized it for removing Mohawke's "noted penchant for sonic adventure" in place of Lunice's "proficiency for big-system bangers", concluding that "the five tracks here result in little more than the requisite head nod for the rest of us". [3]

Accolades

PublicationRankRef
Beats per Minute (EPs)3 [16]
Consequence of Sound 31 [17]
Gigwise 35 [18]
Pitchfork Media 35 [19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lunice Fermin Pierre II and Ross Birchard

No.TitleLength
1."Top Floor"1:53
2."Goooo"3:21
3."Higher Ground"3:19
4."Bugg'n"3:25
5."Easy Easy"3:51
Total length:15:49

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [20] 180
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [21] 8
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [22] 31
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [23] 3

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autechre</span> English electronic music duo

Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Autechre's full-length albums have been released beginning with their 1993 debut Incunabula. They gained initial recognition when they were featured on Warp's 1992 compilation Artificial Intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boards of Canada</span> Scottish electronic music duo

Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of the brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin, formed initially as a trio in 1986 before becoming a duo in the 1990s. Signing first to Skam followed by Warp Records in the 1990s, the duo received recognition following the release of their debut album Music Has the Right to Children on Warp in 1998. They followed with the critically acclaimed albums Geogaddi (2002), The Campfire Headphase (2005) and Tomorrow's Harvest (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp Records</span> British record label

Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.

<i>In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country</i> 2000 EP by Boards of Canada

In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country is an EP by Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada. It was released by Warp and music70 on 27 November 2000, in the period between the duo's albums Music Has the Right to Children and Geogaddi. Like those albums, it was well received by critics. It peaked at number 15 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. Originally pressed on blue vinyl, the vinyl version of the EP was reissued on black vinyl in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battles (band)</span> American rock band

Battles is an American experimental rock group, founded in 2002 in New York City by Ian Williams. The current line-up is a duo, composed of guitarist/keyboardist Williams and drummer John Stanier. Former members include composer/vocalist Tyondai Braxton and guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka. The band has released four studio albums to date, with the most recent Juice B Crypts being released in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt and Kim</span> American music duo

Matt and Kim are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat dance music and energetic live shows which often incorporate samples from other artists. Although they started their career playing shows in lofts and other close-quarters venues, they have since performed at numerous festivals, including Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Firefly Music Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Mohawke</span> Scottish music producer

Ross Matthew Birchard, better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A founding member of the UK based record label LuckyMe, his fractured take on hip-hop made him a leading figure in the late-2000s wonky scene. He released his debut album Butter in 2009 on Warp Records. He has followed with the solo albums Lantern (2015) and Cry Sugar (2022), both on Warp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LuckyMe (record label)</span> British record label and design studio

LuckyMe is a United Kingdom–based record label and design studio specialising in the release of new electronic, hip hop, pop, rock and underground dance music. Referred to as "one of the most innovative and prolific independent record labels of the decade" and acclaimed for "distinctive visual arts projects and collaborations".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rustie</span> Scottish musician from Glasgow

Rustie is a Scottish musician from Glasgow. He is associated with the Numbers label collective and first received attention for his 2007 EP Jagz the Smack. He signed to Warp Records in 2009. His 2011 debut album Glass Swords won him widespread acclaim. His music blends disparate genres, including hip hop, rave, and electronic trap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunice</span> Musical artist

Lunice Fermin Pierre II, better known by his stage name Lunice, is a Canadian record producer and DJ from Montreal. He is one half of the duo TNGHT along with Hudson Mohawke.

<i>III</i> (Crystal Castles album) 2012 studio album by Crystal Castles

III (stylized as (III)) is the third studio album by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles, released on November 7, 2012, by Fiction Records and Polydor Records. Production was handled by Ethan Kath, with additional production by Jacknife Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AlunaGeorge</span> British pop music duo

AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Since 2020, the duo has been on indefinite hiatus, allowing both members to pursue solo projects.

<i>Butter</i> (Hudson Mohawke album) 2009 studio album by Hudson Mohawke

Butter is the debut studio album by Hudson Mohawke, the alias of Scottish musician Ross Birchard. It was released on Warp Records on 26 October 2009, to positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TNGHT</span> Scottish-Canadian electronic music duo

TNGHT is a musical duo consisting of Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke and Canadian producer Lunice, formed in 2011. The duo released their self-titled debut EP to positive reviews in 2012. They announced an indefinite hiatus in late 2013, until their return in September 2019.

"Blood on the Leaves" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). In the song, West presents his thoughts on how fame can cause the destruction of relationships, while making comparisons of contemporary times to the lynching of African Americans in the United States during the pre-civil rights era. West delivers his vocals through an Auto-Tune processor, like on his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. It contains samples of both singer Nina Simone's 1965 rendition of Billie Holiday's song "Strange Fruit", and "R U Ready" by the duo TNGHT, who co-produced the track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mother We Share</span> 2012 single by Chvrches

"The Mother We Share" is the debut single by Scottish indietronica band Chvrches from their debut studio album, The Bones of What You Believe. The song was re-released in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2013 by Virgin Records. The re-release peaked within the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 38 in September 2013. This made it their highest-charting single until 2019 when their collaboration with Marshmello's "Here With Me" reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimes (song)</span> 2014 single by Hudson Mohawke

"Chimes" is a song by Scottish artist and producer Hudson Mohawke. The song gained attention after its appearance on the MacBook Air TV ad, as well as after Mohawke's success through the likes of Kanye West and with the TNGHT project.

<i>Lantern</i> (Hudson Mohawke album) 2015 studio album by Hudson Mohawke

Lantern is the second studio album by Scottish producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke. It was released on Warp on 16 June 2015. It features guest appearances from vocalists including Anohni, Miguel, and Jhené Aiko.

<i>That We Can Play</i> 2010 EP by Games

That We Can Play is the debut EP of the American electronic-music project Games, consisting of producers Daniel Lopatin and Joel Ford. Lopatin and Ford produced That We Can Play in an apartment studio, using vintage synthesizers and sequencers to recapture the sound and style of 1980s power pop.

References

  1. Fitzmaurice, Larry (18 July 2012). "TNGHT: "Higher Ground"". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dombal, Ryan (15 June 2012). "Rising: TNGHT". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jackson, Glenn (26 July 2012). "TNGHT TNGHT EP". XLR8R . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "TNGHT – TNGHT". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bosman, Chris (6 August 2012). "Album Review: TNGHT – TNGHT". Beats per Minute . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 Staples, Derek (31 July 2012). "Album Review: TNGHT – TNGHT EP". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Cook, Jon (21 July 2012). "TNGHT – 'TNGHT' EP". NME . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Lea, Tom (25 July 2012). "TNGHT: TNGHT". Fact . The Vinyl Factory . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Amidon, David (8 August 2012). "TNGHT: TNGHT EP". Popmatters . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Sherburne, Phillip (23 July 2012). "TNGHT – TNGHT". Resident Advisor . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fitzmaurice, Larry (25 July 2012). "TNGHT: TNGHT EP". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 Deviant (25 July 2012). "Review: TNGHT – TNGHT". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for TNGHT [EP]". Metacritic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  14. Martins, Chris (25 July 2012). "TNGHT, 'TNGHT EP' (Warp)". Spin . SpinMedia . Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  15. "TNGHT by TNGHT". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  16. "The Top EPs of 2012". Beats per Minute. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  17. "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Beats per Minute. 14 December 2012. p. 2. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  18. "Albums of the Year: Ellie Goulding to Jessie Ware (Nos 40–31)". Gigwise. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  19. "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Pitchfork Media. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  20. "TNGHT Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  21. "TNGHT Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  22. "TNGHT Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  23. "TNGHT Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2016.