MTV IGGY

Nicole Moudaber’s debut album, Believe, is tailor-made for techno-heads or those who have forgotten the power of the continuous groove. Fans of EDM’s modulations might not remember the time when the music listening experience wasn’t as emotionally manipulative. The roller-coaster of bass and wobble is a great outlet for aggression, but as a DJ and producer, Nicole continues that hi-hat techno tradition of getting you moving to a beat and never letting go.

Born in Nigeria, raised in Beirut, and resident of the UK, Nicole has said that she’s influenced by techno legends Danny Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez, and techno legend Carl Cox. Believe is a full-force 92 minutes of pounding four-on-the-floor that wraps you up in its unrelenting progression. Single “Take Hold” is 9 minutes of heart-pounding industrial music that drips sweat and sex.

Listen to a preview of the album, released yesterday on Drumcode. You can also take a peek at MTV Iggy’s interview with Nicole where she talks about the influence of Nigerian percussion on her attraction to the beat.

Endeguena Mulu is an up-and-coming Ethiopian producer from Addis Ababa making experimental bass music that incorporates dub, dubstep, EDM, and traditional sounds. I haven’t really heard anything like it. His compositions are artistic, danceable, and maintain a nice balance between dark/heavy and light/pop—all with an African edge. In order to understand his unique musical perspective, I asked him a few questions:

Do you have a specific way you approach incorporating Ethiopian sounds into your music?
It depends. Ethiopia is a multilingual and multi-ethnic country with over 80 different cultures living together with each culture having very diverse music forms. You can imagine the wide range of sound textures and rhythms I have to choose from to mix on my palette. We also have a very unique modal system (four main scales and very unique instruments that are not aligned to the western tempered tuning system).  So, yeah, it depends on what type of music I am doing, on what my inspiration is, and on what rhythm I chose to work on when I’m doing the piece. Actually, I think it is fair to say, whether I’m using a sample or an original recording, my main ally is experimentation.

Do you feel you are a part of an African electronic/experimental-electronic community?
There is an African electronic music community out there, yes. There are a lot of great sounds coming from Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Egypt,  Kenya, Zimbabwe, and from right here in Ethiopia also. I do feel like I am part of this new wave of young African musicians that are trying to find their place in the continents’ music scene. Are we interconnected enough? The answer is no in my opinion, because it is a new scene here and it’s just starting to grow. I would really love to see more collaborations coming from the continent when it comes to electronic music. For the moment I am working on my own little collaboration with a friend of mine called Mictek (AKA Mic), another electronic musician from Ethiopia. We are working on a shared EP that might grow into an album. We are teaming up with different musicians from here in Ethiopia and I am also working on my own debut EP አንድ (ande which means one) at the same time.

Check out Enduguena’s track “Autonomie 101″ below from his soundcloud page. It opens with an 8-bit melody reminiscent of a Lady Gaga banger, but after the bass drops like an lead anchor at 0:45 the song brings you along for a whole new aural journey.

Black Butter Records’ most recent signing, Gorgon City, return with new single, “Intentions.” The duo rope in the hypnotizing, soul-filled vocals of Nikki B, along with the help of the Clean Bandit musicians, to create their latest garage-tinged deep house bubbler. Fit for the summer days, “Intentions” is a brill follow-up to their well-received debut, “Real.”

Watch the video: H E R E

North London’s Random Impulse has kindly given us the exclusive first play of the B-side to his “Best Party Ever” single, “Holding Out Till Thursday.” The guitar-strumming grime MC’s previous tracks may have had a slight indie edge to them, but he well and truly channeled his inner rock child on this head-banger. Air guitars at the ready!

Remember when we said “Ninjari Ban Ban” was the awesomest/cutest Kyary Pamyu Pamyu vid yet? Well, J-pop’s adorably-bizarre darling dropped in on YouTube with her new single “Invader Invader” today and turned the cute contest into ninjas vs. aliens. The track may sound a little familiar since it’s been in live circulation for a minute. 100% KPP World Tour 2013 attendees got to hear the song first in various venues around the globe. But no song is a true Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu single until the inevitable MV insanity.

Everything in the video is our favorite brand of over-the-top crazy: ridiculous CGI, nightmarish-ly cute costumed characters—right down to the hiragana character “da” (a large component of the song’s lyrics) plastered all over henchman’s faces. Anything goes when the song’s about a secret organization coming to take over your town via the mesmerizing power of Kyary’s fashion sense (plus a little help from eye-beams and ear missiles).

Stay + (Stay Positive) is a semi-shrouded project of Manchester-based producer Matt Farthing that was once known as Christian AIDS. The first single from Stay +’s new Blood Brother EP, “You Hate Me,” is a dramatic account of the insecurities that come as a result of falling in love inside a smoke-machine-and-laser-filled tunnel. It is intelligent and addictive rave music that frenetically cycles through high-BPM peaks and desperate valleys. Cooly G’s voice is filtered, layered, and pitched-up to perfection, reveling in the idea that “I can tell that you’re gonna love me” but actually maybe “you hate me.” Is it either or both or do I care right now when we’re lost in the dance?

Blood Brother will be the first ever release on Stay Positive Industries and is out May 27. You may also be interested in checking out MTV Iggy’s interview with Cooly G about motherhood and her creative process when she’s producing her own tunes.

On Monday May 13, MTV Iggy will be hosting a private video taping for dubstep duo Mt. Eden from New Zealand and we want you and your friends to be our guests for this secret show (all attendees must be 19+). Just send us your info and we’ll send you more details.

For a taste of the Mt. Eden experience, check out the ghostly video for “Sierra Leone” that we recently debuted.

Is it time for another Artist of the Week poll already? Yes! We have five more exciting new artists from all over the world that we introduced to you this week, rounded up here, and ready for you to vote on. One of them will be voted, by you, into bonafide Artist of the Week status! You have until next Friday morning at 11 a.m. EST to vote for your favorite artist, who will be featured on our home page. Okay, ready, steady, click!

Thiago Pethit

The latest cantor-compositor to sweep Brazil is Thiago Pethit. He’s one of a new generation of songwriters taking Brazilian music into unforeseen directions. Drawing from a heavy background in theater, he takes ideas from the cabaret songs of Kurt Weill and superimposes the raw weirdness of Tom Waits, with a touch of the breathy pillow talk voice made famous by bossa nova star João Gilberto.

WATAPACHI

We never get enough of listening to Japan’s contemporary fusion sounds, especially when, as in the case of DJ/producers WATAPACHI, it melds the sublime elements of trap influences, trippy soundscapes, awesome electric bass riffs and spellbinding vocal samples. With a sound rich in East Coast rap roots, consistent rhyme patterns and dark and deep beats, the Tokyo duo composed of Noxin and Ses, is an ideal fit for our headphones.

MNEK

MNEK has brought a certain swag/urban edge to British pop music that has been missing for years. His voice: laden with soul. His songwriting: tugs at the heart. His productions: genre-defying. Basically, MNEK is single-handedly reviving the genre’s cool. MNEK will continue to work his magic from behind-the-scenes for the foreseeable future, but expect more of him as a singer in coming months. Pop music has just found a new genius.

Gazelle

Xander Ferreira performs under the moniker Gazelle—that’s a fitting comparison as his music is as nimble as the African antelope. He’s from a small  South African town near the border with Mozambique and since migrating to New York City, his multicultural sound has been influenced by collaborations with Spoek Mathambo, The Bloody Beetroots, and Scuola Furano. His solo music now incorporates rhythms from his continental heritage with transglobal references.

Josy

Josy’s members twist and shout. The guitar-free rock ‘n’ roll act makes up for the void of rock’s power instrument with high-spirited use of rollicking keyboards, a psychically in-sync rhythm section, and wild vocal play. The coquettish quartet’s members are: Cumi on vocals, Mami on keys, Non on bass, and Nanohana on drums and they have the type of cohesion, charisma, and glam that could rival the star power of a ’90s Britpop band or ’60s Motown girl group.