Pixeltan

Pixeltan's latest effort – their first release in five years, and long overdue – is a 4 song EP that solidifies a sound that has been slowly (very slowly) been developing over the course of almost a decade now, and also manages to completely redefine what these 3 are capable of. The new tracks are both referential and reverential, while still being wholly of this time, modern, fun and very funky indeed.

On their new four-song EP, the band takes inspiration from a number of sources. On "Yamerarena-I," Pixeltan builds atop Afro percussion with steady bass and guitar lines, and Yoneta's matter-of-fact vocals, which veer from Japanese to English (Yamerarena means "can't stop" in Japanese). "Scatter" and "No More Delay" take a page – or at least a few notes – from Larry Levan's Paradise Garage disco songbook, while "I Told You So" shows an appreciation for ESG, but adds layers of dynamic percussive elements and showcases Yoneta's vocal ability to go from sweetly menacing to raw-throated screams within the song's mere four minutes. ("I told you so," she spits, before adding, as if to ward off any remaining doubts, "I told you so...bitch.")

The eclecticism of Pixeltan’s sounds is a natural byproduct of the musical experience each member brings to the trio: drummer Hisham Bharoocha formerly played with both Black Dice and Lightning Bolt; bass player Devin Flynn and singer Mika Yoneta are ex-members of Plate Tectonics. The Brooklyn-based threesome originally formed in 1998, and released their self-titled EP in 2001. The same year, they collaborated with DFA on a remix of their song "Get Up/Say What," which the public didn't hear until 2004. The resulting track – a throbbing mix of jittery bass, dancefloor beckoning handclaps, and Yoneta's alternately seductive and screeching banshee vocals – invoked an immediacy that resonated instantly with listeners.
 
- Kali Holloway

Tracklisting:

1. Yamerarena-I
2. Scatter
3. I Told You So
4. No More Delay

DFA2139 / 2004

A. Get Up / Say What (DFA Remix)

B1. Get Up

B2. That's The Way I Like It

Tracklist: 
1) High Tide
2) High Tide (Secret Circuit)
3) High Tide (Dr. Dunks) 

Christened High Tide after the sudden rising of the LA River basin during a particularly epic and rare rainfall, this cosmic slop funk jam was born from the minds of Devin Flynn (Pixeltan) and Eddie Ruscha (Secret Circuit), two individuals with a deep connection to Los Angeles tap water sources. While traipsing through the aisles of an Atwater Village bodega, the two mustered up a plan to create a rhythmic piece so delectable as to turn peoples’ heads inside out and pummel the senses with a wobbly Jah Wobble bass sound and a toy drum machine “no toy” style back beat. They figured if they laced it up with enough electronic scuzz, the masses would be sure to want to sip from its nectar. 

When DFA got wind, it was all systems go, and from then on, all relevant parties knew that they should sit on the track for at least five years before it was released, otherwise the world at large would not be ready for it. The remixes are by Eddie himself, as Secret Circuit, and Dr. Dunks, AKA Eric Duncan, a fellow Angeleno (at least at heart). Eric and Devin rolled through the streets as small children, shredding curbs and tagging local ice cream trucks, so it was inevitable they would reconnect and jam on High Tide. 

Devin Flynn is an animator, musician and teacher who has worked on projects like Gary Panter's web series Pink Donkey and the Fly and MTV2’s Wonder Showzen. He has previously released on DFA with Pixeltan, a trio—Flynn, Hisham Bharoocha of Black Dice, and singer Mika Yoneta—that recorded with The DFA at the label’s inception, creating two seminal singles. Eddie Ruscha is another DFA veteran, having remixed artists including Wolfram and Museum of Love. He has been making music for decades, as Secret Circuit and with a myriad of other aliases and collaborators, in addition to recording under his own name. He has released on labels like Beats in Space and Emotional Response, among others.