URB Magazine - 15th Annual Next 100 - Issue 157

Page 60

AC Slater

nancy

Deastro

riz mc

Few producers embody the sheer breath of dance music like Brooklyn’s AC Slater. A club casualty who’s sound germinates from a one-room era of electronic music, AC combines elements of electro, Miami bass, dubstep, and classic New York house in a bass-heavy Molotov cocktail that works as well in a Bushwick warehouse party as it does on the mainfloor at Pacha. The results have been harvested by a global stable of labels from Ministry of Sound to Against the Grain to add his infectious touch to remixes for dancefloor royalty such as Moby, Adam Freelance, Deelkine & Wizard, and Laidback Luke. CL

Deastro is Randolph Chabot’s illegitimate lovechild from Detroit, Michigan. With a live band backing his stage antics, there is not much Randolph can’t do musically. Channeling forces from the art of electronic music, ’80s influenced power-pop, indie rock, and John Travolta, Deastro has created a sound that would be hard to mimic, but quite easy to dance to. Randolph lives in the liminal area between quality and fun, making Deastro a group to keep your eyes on and kick your feet up. BM

deastro

No one is named Nancy in this Brazilian band. Camila Zamith, Praxis, Dreaduardo, Munha, Fernando Lanches, and Ivan Bicudo call themselves “ex-punks” and “diplobrats,” and the softness in their music keeps sharp little spines around its frame, like a green blade of grass. On their upcoming debut album, which was pieced together through instant messenger and Mac applications, Zamith’s smooth vocals take centerstage. Like a South American Eleni Mandell, she could be delivering the harshest line, but it sounds sweet and warm, like a concussion. DF

Riz MC is an English rapper who eschews the clichés of hip-hop for the sake of substance. Beneath grimy, minimal beats and catchy programming lies an important message. Riz Ahmed, who is of Pakistani descent, challenges issues of class, politics and war (“Post-911 Blues”) as well as religion (“Islam Versus The West”) in a caustic and comical manner that makes uncomfortable topics easier to ingest. The Oxford University alum is just as effective acting as he is MCing. After appearing in “The Road to Guantanamo,” he landed in “Shifty,” for which he earned a BIFA Awards Best Actor nomination. He is currently working on Sally Potter’s upcoming film starring Judi Dench and Lily Cole. DS nancy

riz mc

URB 58 | URB.com

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3/24/09 12:06:27 PM


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