Liam Miller
The electronic music scene in Brooklyn has experienced significant growth and evolution over the past few decades. Starting in the late 20th century, Brooklyn became a hub for underground electronic music, with a thriving community of DJs, producers, and music enthusiasts. Venues like Output, Verboten, and Bossa Nova Civic Club played a pivotal role in shaping the scene, hosting renowned DJs and fostering a vibrant nightlife culture.
Brooklyn’s electronic music scene has been characterized by its diversity, with a wide range of genres and subgenres flourishing, from techno and house to experimental and ambient electronica. The borough’s DIY ethos, creative spirit, and underground warehouse parties have contributed to its reputation as a global electronic music destination.
In this crucible of creativity also resides the vinyl only label Brooklyn Sway, which is releasing a new fantastic vinyl. It is the fourth release of Brooklyn Sway and to put it bluntly – a release that really holds something extraordinary between its vinyl grooves. N/UM, the highly regarded pioneers of improvised electronic live music, feature classic analog instruments combined with modular synths and live vocals for a truly genre-bending experience.
Their unique sound and out-of-the-ordinary approach has taken them from the Robot Heart Bus at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada to performing the closing set at the Mutek Festival in Montreal. Having just completed their European tour, where they played shows at Yellowhouse in Amsterdam and at Sisyphos in Berlin among others, they are gearing up for a string of releases and concerts.
This newest vinyl only release ‘Ohm Hourani & N/UM – BKS-04‘ adds to Brooklyn Sway’s highly curated catalog with output from artists such as house legend Eric Kupper and Elon. BKS-04 features two tracks by N/UM and one extended track by Ohm Hourani, whose previous record ‘Barbara’ included a remix by Ricardo Villalobos.
N/UM’s ‘Our Way’ prominently features the synth Arp String Ensemble from 1974, a hybrid of electronic organ and synthesizer. Their 2nd track ‘Any Time’ was recorded at the beach club Chronicle (now called Glory) in Goa, when they were on tour in India a few years back. Ohm’s ‘Diva’ combines a playful vocal sample with a hypnotic beat.
The live trio and Ohm met while performing at the legendary Brooklyn underground party Aftermoth and they were also both part of the Movement Festival afterparty ‘Brooklyn Sway(s) Detroit’ earlier this year. Brooklyn Sway masterfully immortalizes their connection through this vinyl with original artwork by Cern, internationally recognized New York City muralist and graffiti artist whose work has been featured at the MOCA in LA and Museu Brasileiro De Escultura in Sao Paulo.
N/UM is performing the Cityfox Halloween Festival (Avant Gardner – Brooklyn, NY) on Oct 27th and the SAT Dome (Montreal, Canada) on Oct 28th.