Darwin Deez: Constellations
“Wonderful, strangely yearning pop, matching Strokes-ian ennui to a melody that reaches for the twinkling stars” – Guardian Film and Music
“Deez has us entertained and intrigued” – Esquire
“Captivating” – Music Week
When “Constellations” was given a limited, UK only release, in December of last year, Darwin Deez was just starting to make a name for himself as a purveyor of sweetly cracked, heartfelt, perfect pop songs. His performances at New York’s CMJ Festival had created a buzz, he was hotly tipped by the NME, and there were promising signs that here was a truly unique artist in the making.
Fast forward just 9 months and he is not only fulfilling his early supporter’s expectations, he is far exceeding them. From packing out each and every venue he has played across the country with his refreshingly unique live show; to becoming a must-see highlight of nearly all of this year’s summer festivals; to the singles “Radar Detector” and “Up in the Clouds” achieving playlist additions on Radio One, 6Music and XFM; to the ardent and continued press support from the NME, it is now clear that Darwin Deez is becoming that rare thing in this day and age – a bona fide, larger than life pop star.
“Constellations” is a nigh-on untouchable mini-pop classic that cribs the opening lines from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and comes equipped with handclaps and effortlessly infectious melodies that belie a darker, more poignant undertow, as epitomised when Deez wonders “if freckles don’t mean anything, does anything mean anything?” Consider it part of the power of Darwin Deez – just as he reels you in with his offbeat insouciance and killer tunes, he also delivers an affecting, emotional blow.
As to the Remixes, well you can always rely on Modeselektor’s favourite dj/producer, SBTRKT, to come up with some exciting ear-candy. Mysticized behind immaculate African masks, designed by Hidden Place, Sbtrkt has consistently delivered composed and creative re-productions for artists of stature including M.I.A., Gorillaz, Tinie Tempah, and These New Puritans, as well as deconstructing Mark Ronson’s best release to date, ‘Bang Bang.’
In SBTRKT’s ‘Constellations’ remix, emotions flicker & rhythms jump between swollen bass drums, soca dubstep, and the most broken of breaks. The mix hardly stands still for a second and, even in the shadows, an other-worldly head-rush is the key effect.
There’s a huge buzz building for the young producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. ‘Garden’ from T.E.E.D’s ‘All In Two Sixty Dancehalls’ EP (Greco Roman) has picked up repeated spins (Annie Mac, Rob da Bank, Nick Grimshaw) and props across the board. Swinging between overt musicality and scarily on-point dancefloor sensibility, ripping up clubs around the globe with his live show of bizarre instruments, glitter cannons and of course… dancing dinosaurs.
T.E.E.D has just remixed Tinashe, Sky Ferreira, Fenech-Soler and Professor Green, and is rounding off a summer of festival shenanigans at Bestival. With a new EP set for release this autumn, we should expect totally enormous things, just as he delivers with his re-imagining of ‘Constellations.’
