PREVIEW: The Hood Internet at MFNW Sept. 7th!

words LUCY OHLSEN

Chicago-based DJs The Hood Internet have been mixing since the mid 2000s. After 300 mash-up tracks, they are finally releasing an original album: FEAT, out October 2nd.

Video of “Won’t Fuck Us Over”

The Hood Internet have been called “musical alchemists” because of their ability to blend distinctly different artists and songs. They’ve mashed R Kelly and Lemonade, Santigold and Usher, Drake and Beach House. While their tracks perhaps aren’t works of enduring art, they gain merit by the fact that it’s nearly impossible not to start shaking your booty when their mixes drop.

The Hood’s debut album has a sort of remix feel to it. It features at least 26 different artists across just ten tracks, ranging from Astronautalis to Annie Hart.

The album is a little strange in a whole package. There’s so much going on that it is hard to remember that this is all produced by the same two dudes. Each track is an impressive collaboration of rhythms and artists that cross genre lines. Even the lower-energy tracks, like “Our Finest China,” featuring The Rosebuds and Astronautalis, are mixed masterfully. Each track provides something to sway to or something to booty-pop to. And they aren’t all just mindless party background beats, with some songs with lyrics that are actually curiously interesting.

It seems like these guys’ mission is to get you to dance. While they both have college degrees and backgrounds in more “professional” music, they have found their niches in providing music for the now – stuff that makes you want to move.

“Won’t Fuck Us Over,” the pre-released track from FEAT is one of it’s better gems. It features Annie Hart and BBU, and it has some surprisingly political lyrics. It’s almost like the rapper is embodying Romney, except inserting some moral guilt and rapper swag into his mouth. The video for the track, however, is a very strange party night in the woods, that ends in a pre-teen performing surgery to remove a toothbrush from someone’s arm.

The Hood Internet’s new album abounds with creative experiments that for the most part, actually work. They are to throw down at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland for MusicFest North West on September 7^th.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2012 at 4:46 pm. It is filed under HAPPENINGS, Live Shows, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.