Confusing Mix Of Nations

Description

CMON is the new recording project of Josh da Costa and Jamen Whitelock. Even as they established themselves as integral members of New Yorks DIY scene with their band Regal Degal, da Costa and Whitelock were acutely aware of how closed off they had become. As Regal Degal mounted its final tour, with clubs pushing their set times earlier and earlier to make space for the DJs who followed da Costa and Whitelock took notes. We were definitely getting swept further from where we wanted to be and the excitement we wanted to portray, Whitelock says. Theres such joy in going out and dancing that was completely missing in a lot of shows, especially in New York. Nobody wants to move, everyones too self-conscious. But when you go to the club, everyones in ityou just want to dance, and thats all that matters. The community potential and the promise of physical liberation that came with dance music spoke loudly to both da Costa and Whitelock, and following the dissolution of Regal Degal, da Costa set up a new life for himself in Los Angelesa steady relationship, a pet bird, a carand got down to work with a copy of Ableton. Back in New York, his head spun by DJ Rashad, Whitelock was learning to program, too. They kept their line of communication open, and eventually Whitelock started making the cross-country trek to work and record with his old bandmate. They mined the sound they established with Regal Degal, applying their old bands heavy atmospherics and melancholy soul to four-on-the-floor rhythm grids and smoothed-out guitar lines, taking production cues from EBM and AOR in equal measure. If Confusing Mix of Nations is a tour of anything, though, its not countries so much as psychic spaces. Each of its ten tracks feels like a postcard from an aesthetic territory worth returning to. Opener Coo begins with locked-in grooves reminiscent of Drugdealer (for whom da Costa drums) or Mild High Club, until it suddenly gives itself over to a rhythm thats been chattering away in the back of the track. As da Costa and Whitelock follow its hints, Coo suddenly inverts its priorities and sounds like Miami bass all leaned out for Halloween, then calmly returns to the opening groove, the only proof of the excursion an excess of delay on da Costas vocal. Peter Pan struts like its on its way to meet side two of Sandinista! in its verses, then glows with New Romantic shine in the chorus. The pop hooks on Good to Know feel like they could set off a festival crowd, but theyre offset by a strange hollow ache at the songs centera weird sadness that makes you feel a little bad for dancing to it.