A couple of years in the making, the Slew's new album 100% features Montreal's Kid Koala and Seattle's Dynomite D indulging in their heavier side, infusing turntablism with rock 'n' roll for a remarkably pure hybrid. Hoping to make a record that their skater friends would dig, D and Koala used an imagined meeting between Public Enemy and Black Sabbath (or perhaps the Judgement Night soundtrack even?) as a benchmark and took it from there. The result is coolly confounding, with 60s hippiedom swinging to block-rocking beats on songs like "It's All Over" or really just aping the Orange-era genre-splicing of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on the title track.
The Slew was never gonna be a live concern until the two DJs befriended Chris Ross and Myles Hackett, the former rhythm section for Australia's Wolfmother. Buoyed on by their interest in the project, Koala and D endeavoured to complete the Slew record in time for a quickly assembled nine-city tour, which brings them to Montreal and Toronto this week. The original plan to make 100% a tour-only CD/double LP was recently abandoned and the whole record is available as a free download on Kid Koala's website. "We figured you'd have more fun at the shows if you had heard [this] first," Koala writes of 100%. "Feel free to link/tweet + pass it on to your friends."
Listen to 100% by The Slew here.
Catch the Slew live this week:
9/30 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/1 Boston, MA – Great Scott
10/2 Montreal, QC – La Tulipe
10/3 Toronto, ON – Mod Club
10/4 Chicago, IL – Abbey Pub
The Slew was never gonna be a live concern until the two DJs befriended Chris Ross and Myles Hackett, the former rhythm section for Australia's Wolfmother. Buoyed on by their interest in the project, Koala and D endeavoured to complete the Slew record in time for a quickly assembled nine-city tour, which brings them to Montreal and Toronto this week. The original plan to make 100% a tour-only CD/double LP was recently abandoned and the whole record is available as a free download on Kid Koala's website. "We figured you'd have more fun at the shows if you had heard [this] first," Koala writes of 100%. "Feel free to link/tweet + pass it on to your friends."
Listen to 100% by The Slew here.
Catch the Slew live this week:
9/30 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/1 Boston, MA – Great Scott
10/2 Montreal, QC – La Tulipe
10/3 Toronto, ON – Mod Club
10/4 Chicago, IL – Abbey Pub