“Circuit City” Listen Now To Sunking’s Homage To Old School Detroit Techno Beats
One month from today sunking will release their simultaneously pro and anti- technology sophomore album ‘I DON’T LIKE MY TELEPHONE’, also their second release with ANTI- Records. Out today is the final pre-release track, “CIRCUIT CITY”, which forays into vintage Carl Craig-style Detroit techno yet also feels in conversation with contemporary artists Overmono and Folamour. The trio’s unique harmonics and strong sense of melody—nostalgic but hopeful at the same time—come together for something that sounds like Boards Of Canada or Plaid, if they were powered by an extremely good drummer. Listen below.
Listen to “Circuit City”: https://youtu.be/wQ2pWikH-oE?si=kyfx-BUmrFFzrvkx
Bobby Granfelt and Antoine Martel have been playing in bands together since they were 15, but it's only recently that they've really found their groove. Part of Seattle jazz fusion group High Pulp for the better part of a decade, the duo originally branched off into sunking to explore their other loves. From hip-hop to electronic music to indie rock, sunking was their time off to play whatever they wanted and so records like 2022's Smug shot off excitedly in all directions.
Now a trio with High Pulp member Victory Nguyen joining the band when playing live on modular synth, saxophone and flute, their new album is different. The product of a real plan, instead of just recording on off days, ‘I DON'T LIKE MY TELEPHONE’ is tight, laser focused, and more representative of who they are as musicians. The result is a record as vibrant as a kaleidoscope, and compact as one too, shuffling through more styles and ideas in neat, three-minute chunks of virtuosity. It's a new sparkle and sheen that combines the duo's serious musical chops with rich production values and enriches dance music foundations with cheeky solos and musical tangents.
sunking approached ‘I DON'T LIKE MY TELEPHONE’ as a series of self-contained "micro-compositions," inspired by hip-hop beat tapes from acts like Madlib, and built around Granfelt's drum loops and Martel's new gear. In addition to all those new synths, they were fueled by an increasing love for electronic music artists like Galcher Lustwerk, The Field, and Susumu Yokota, whose 1994 cult classic ‘Acid Mt. Fuji’ they cite as a particular inspiration.
Staying busy this summer, Granfelt has also recently introduced an animated YouTube show called Bobby’s Rhythm Corner, which features loose and fun short videos on the basics of learning to play an instrument. “This Seattle-launched duo deservedly invites listeners to take a closer look,” said a recent JAZZIZ print feature on the trio. “The drummer cut his teeth on rock music; the keyboardist was classically trained. sunking, as well as their seven-piece band High Pulp, create all-encompassing fusions with roots in both worlds.”