In an industry inundated with images of scantily clad women and fist pumping crowds, the mainstream music scene often lacks a certain realness or substance. Digging deeper, there definitely exists a pervasive ideal of nonconformity, but even it focuses on a "do what we want, when we want, and how we want" mentality, something more along the lines of chaotic carpe diem than true self expression. Of course not all art must be a grand statement of heightened realism made for a bigger purpose. Yet, when it is, and it pulls it off with flare, all the better.
Enter Double Duchess, the San Francisco electronic/rap duo of Krylon and davO, two queer men who use their work as a vehicle to increase LGBT visibility in the mainstream. Though an air of frivolity surrounds their tracks, the lighthearted freedom of expression flies in the face of rigid cultural norms that so many unwillingly conform to on a daily basis. "Bucket Betch" and "Deviant" have already attracted a cult following, especially as the visuals heavily leverage San Francisco's gay culture: noted cityscapes, glittering short shorts, towering high heels, and even a hint of BDSM.
Add to their catalog today's song, "Nocturnal", which continues in the vein of a darker, stripped-down sound through an attention to bass, percussion, and monotone vocals. Drum machines loop across the journey, almost always accompanied by deep beats and occasionally topped with tambourine or bongo. Additionally, rather than defining the feeling imparted by Krylon and davO's vocals, "monotone" simply highlights their bold, matter-of-fact statement of the lyrics. In the end, "Nocturnal" becomes bigger than itself just by being itself: a dance-centric track from two confident men that blends the truth, the outrageous, and the bass. To download, click "purchase" below or right here.
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"Producing music is my lifeline to the rest of the world in which I can creatively express my moods, emotions, and moments; be them happy, dark, or just hyphy as shit." – Double Duchess
Double Duchess
"Nocturnal"
- 2014-02-07
