As a hip-hop-flavoured act on venerable label Sub Pop, you're automatically going to create some type of buzz. Doubly so if you're actually any good and Seattle, WA's THEESatifaction fit that bill. "Starting out, we just basically made music for ourselves and we were happy with doing that," says Stasia Irons, one-half of the Afro-futurist rap duo. awE naturalE is wholly reflective of the group's relaxed vibe and sincere, jazz-/soul-driven flow. "Whatever you do/Don't funk with my groove," Irons and Catherine Harris-White emphatically state on "QueenS," and the rest of the album scarcely gives listeners a reason to ignore the command. Deceptively complex on production, the jazz piano grooves throughout provide a chill backdrop to the group's laidback, socio-political, feminist sensibilities. Label-mate Palaceer Lazaro (of Shabazz Palaces) lends a hand on "Enchantruss," while joints like "Bitch" and "Deeper" ("The ring is the math seven days of the week and another seven days/On your path the fourth generation of locos a no no no") deliver a wholly unique and satisfying take on the hip-hop genre. Put succinctly, awE NaturalE leaves listeners wanting more.
Read an interview with THEESatisfaction here.
(Sub Pop)Read an interview with THEESatisfaction here.