Suburban (from the central valley originally) crunk-tronica comes from San Francisco in the debut from All Teeth and Knuckles. Apparently two male club rats got together for a project that examines the dynamics of their home-town scene. And just at the right moment in music history.
The world of alternative dance/club culture has recently seen an upswing with confusing and enticing cultural trends including: 1) Justin Timberlake making a fantastic R&B/dance album 2) Cheesy pop from London being called New Rave 3) Everyone wearing bright colors again 4) Really kick-ass dance/snyth bands popping out of New York and London and 5) Another French mega-dance duo, Justice, reinventing music with only turntables, editing software, and robot friends named Daft Punk. Are we arriving at some cultural moment when guitar music becomes eclipsed by the smooth deadly lullaby of the synthetic instrument? Perhaps only the dirty scene kids in the streets know the future, smoking their cigarettes and having their illicit teenage love affairs to the sounds of a revolution the 80s only began to imagine.
So naturally, with this injection of teen-heat into the club scene everywhere (some nay-sayers will blame dropping cocaine prices), everyone with a new keyboard wants a spot on the disco-punk train into history. Including, of course, this reviewer.
The northern California electro hip-hop house in question actually sounds OK. I have really enjoyed listening to the record, if not for it's mastery of beats and riffs. I consider Timbaland to be the king of crossover hip-hop beats, and predictably these SF club kids can't swim in that pond. However, they have a few tricks up their American Apparel sleeves.
Musically, Club Hit to Hit the Clubs With sits at the uneasy junction between slick hipster electronics and downbeat urban hip-hop. Sick Face Fallon spits rhymes about drugs, CSS, girls who are too attractive, and stupid yuppies in leather jackets stealing the scene. Gio Fo’Rio provides synths and beats that buzz and tickle with an almost humorous need to be more electro than R&B. The lyrics and the music are admittedly catchy, and if not awe inspiring, may get you off the couch and into a small bar where the DJ plays Daft Punk remixes. Who knows? Maybe in a few years the small indie dance/electro bar will be a slightly larger bar playing Justice remixes.