TBD: What Is This?
I’ve been listening to this single for a good few weeks now, and have been finding it difficult to write anything about it, perhaps, I think, because TBD’s sound is really difficult to contextualise in my own head. A project of disco producer Lee Douglas (responsible for the sublime “New York Story” released on Rong in 2007) and Justin Van Der Volgen (formerly a member of !!! and Out Hud), TBD, as they have called themselves, are responsible for a Frankenstein’s monster of a record which comes on a wave of hyperbole not dissimilar to that which accompanied House Of House’s Rushing To Paradise earlier in the year. Except for the fact that you can still pick up a copy of TBD’s debut 12″, which is fortunate, because it’s an absolute classic.
The A-side, “What Is This?” is about as brash as house music comes. It’s bassline is big and unashamedly dumb; it serves as the primary melodic element of the track, holding together several discordant sound effects. But it’s about half way through that the track really takes off; the slightly downbeat yet funky mood changes to one of abject despair, as the abstract synth phrases which come from the white noise breakdown begin to sound like tortured human voices; when the bassline drops back, its slightly brainless nature is transplanted for an aggressive quality which perfectly counters its total sonic absurdity. It’s undeniably macho, almost painfully so, but there’s always the feeling that Douglas and Van Der Volgen are completely self-aware of it at the same time.
“I Don’t Know” on the flip-side functions as a kind of response to the rhetorical title of the A-side. It follows the same formula as before, with a deep, chugging bassline, but chooses to build its intensity with a rush of noisy snares and some live trumpet coupled with a completely OTT organ jam and acid squiggles. What could be a failed case of throwing everything together to see how much of it sticks doesn’t just hold together exceptionally well, it actually sounds like it was put together live. This is perhaps not surprising considering Van Der Volgen’s live experience with !!! and Out Hud, but so rarely does something which seems so improvised have such tight house production values.
Supposedly, Douglas and Van Der Volgen got together, tired of the same old music, and set out to create “a brand new sound, a sound defiant of any genre or basic musical understanding”. It’s something that many producers may set out to do, but seldom do they ever succeed quite like this.
Listen:> TBD - What Is This?
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What Is This? is out now on TBD Sounds
Buy the 12″ from Phonica
