BUMBLEBEEZ IN NYC and beyond…
Hmmm, do we detect a legitimate scene brewing from downunder? What the heck is Australia playing at? Bombarding the universe with one amazing act after another and offering a full spectrum of musical goodness for us all to enjoy. It’s unnecessary to provide a list of all the talent currently hailing from this fine and vast country (if we have to, then shame on you!) as they should of course, already be under your radar by now.
However, there is one band that you really should take note of, and that’s the punked-out attention-deficit-approved ghetto-electro sounds of none other than the Brother and Sister collective, known as Bumblebeez, hailing from the small town of Braidwood and about to venture to the United States this fall!
First stop, NYC this Sept when they are set to join fellow aussies, Midnight Juggernauts and New Yorks’ own Grandmaster Flash on Sept 13th at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. The band will then be returning for a mini tour with the sassy Ms. Ladyhawke this October (dates and flyers to post are below).
The make up of the “beez” has been constantly evolving, but the core of the band has always remained the brother and sister duo of Christopher and Pia Colonna AKA ViLa AKA Prince Umberto & The Sister Of Ill, which is also the name of the bands astoundingly unique debut. The result, a mysterious and marvelous attempt at cramming a lifetime of dreams and influences into 40 minutes of tape. A kaleidoscopic trip of A.D.D. jams taking in sounds from 1920 to 2020, if you will. The Bumblebeez have crafted a record of pure energy and bass that is exciting, exhilarant and sometimes, just downright insane.
The record recalls bits and pieces of Rodriguez, The Beatles, Dizzee Rascal, Lee Scratch Perry, Prince, NWA, Roxanne Shante, Neneh Cherry, The Kinks, Liars, Little Richard, Malcolm McLaren, Daft Punk, The Modern Lovers and Public Enemy but manages to safely land in some faraway space none of those have ever been before.
When the red hot former single ‘Dr Love’ caught the ears of specialists, mainstream media and music fans alike, the masses quickly realized they were onto something special with this new brandished Australian duo Bumblebeez, who have quickly become the band to watch from here on out and are destined to continue gathering fans far from home.
Produced by self confessed ‘ADD’ producer, Chris Colonna and one half of Simian Mobile Disco, James Ford. The tracks began as a coleslaw of instruments, samples and rough jams, MPC monster beats and mysterious raps collected over the last few years, all thrown together in a Braidwood (Aus.) bedroom.
Once a collection of songs was established Mr. Ford [Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets] was sent down to the country town for a pint, to feed the cows, disappear every few days and beat the songs into the shape of an earth shaking album. The results see the album trawling through varying beats and obvious nods to the Bumblebeez musical influences through out.
The record was mixed by Zdar in Paris to give it a little Eurocrunk in the trunk and here we are, with a record that’s a dizzying trip through popular music from yesterday to tomorrow, from Braidwood to Botswana to Bombay to Brooklyn, with bits and pieces of doo wop, garage, punk rock, hip hop, reggae, RnB, grime and acid all seeping into the mix. It’s a furiously manic mix, one which is all held together by the Bumblebeez’ raw and ridiculously energetic aesthetic.
It’s exactly this clever and subtle morphing between obscure styles and a multitude of genres on this 16 track album that assures us that Bumblebeez will blaze a path of their own in this world with this debut album and slew of live shows, coming this September and October in the USofA
Sept 6 - Modular & Kingswood Rooftop Party, NYC
(with Apes and Androids + more)
Sept 13 - Le Poisson Rouge, New York City, NY
(with Midnight Juggernauts * Grand Master Flash)
Sept 17 - Arlo & Esme, New York City, NY (DJ)
Oct 14 - Santo’s Party House, New York City, NY
(with Ladyhawke)
Oct 15 - AV-erie, Chicago, IL
(with Ladyhawke)
Oct 16 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
(with Ladyhawke)
Oct 17 - Popscene, San Francisco, CA
(with Ladyhawke)
FREE DOWNLOAD OF ‘RIO‘
FREE DOWNLOAD OF ‘BLACK DIRT‘
PRINCE UMBERTO & THE SISTER OF ILL ///
TRACK BY TRACK
INTRO
A cavalcade of sounds introduces the helter skelter skitter of the record.
BLACK DIRT
A paranoid calling to arms, with a wall of howls and unstoppable drum loop, a primal scream of an opening track proper.
CLUBB CLUBB
After the introduction of the best rapper alive ViLa, Clubb Clubb erupts with skittering 808 kick drums, enormous sirens and old hip hop stabs, with ViLa spitting lava front and centre.
RADIO FABULOUS
A loose limbed percussive radio request show call out leading into Dr Love…..
DR LOVE
A beat driven oracle to some sort of warped love practitioner, first single Dr Love is a bouncey trip through bumping hip hop drums, stiff bass, a rolling piano hook and off the wall stereo sound effects that sounds like eating a rainbow and farting out gold.
COMIN FA YA
A ferocious MC No Lay gets nasty over an even nastier raw shit beat threatening to steal your money and waste your time.
FREAK YA LONELINESS
Introduced by a yokel and a gunshot, Freak Ya Loneliness takes the record to a Braidwood barnyard, a stomping country rock romp complete with tripped out peyote breakdown.
ZULU
A warped big beat Afro-reggae bounce with dual vocals from Chris and ViLa that descends into feverish jungle jam.
IN YOUR BRAINS
A mellow lick of a reggae interlude to give the listener a second to breathe before….
CRAZY TONGUE
Pure coca cola garage punk, drums like pistons and an unforgettable la la la la doo wop breakdown, Crazy Tongue is Bumblebeez at their loosest.
MY GIRL
What goes up supposedly must come down, and My Girl is an introspective, haunting midnight love story that builds into a sweeping Air does Revolutiuon 9 psycheout moment enough to make a grown man cry.
SPACESHIPS
Spaceships strips all the noise and spark right back to the song, and it’s undoubtably a highlight. A simple old style R&B joint with ViLa sing-speaking a story of an old hat hocker.
THE GAME
Robot hip hop breaks for kids with Nintendo on the brain.
RIO
A stone cold electronic pop classic, a South American coconut juice banger, Rio is all heavy 4/4 and cowbells and ViLa singing a song about going down to Rio to meet her girl Cleo, with the most catchy refrain this side of the Macarena. BANG! GO GO GO!
PUMP UP THE BASS
The last song proper on the album, Pump Up The Bass threatens to blow up your speakers on the way out the door, an absolutely ferocious grimy hip hop track with bass as heavy as anvils and verses from Chris, ViLa and No Lay, Pump Up The Bass perfectly exemplifies Bumblebeez in 2007.
OUTRO
Trash talking, Blade Runner synth sounds and the bell tolls as Prince Umberto & The Sister Of Ill comes to a close.
