Album Thu Nov 03 2011

Album Review: Chrissy Murderbot's Booty Bounce EP I'm A Asshole

By Jason Olexa

Chrissy Murderbot is a dance shaman of the 21st century mixing folk cures for club foot, rickets, shyness and other dance impairments. Chrissy Murderbot makes the type of high-energy dance music you get in trouble listening to. Siren noises and explosive bass drops paint an auditory backdrop as your mom would opened the door and asked you to turn it down with her serious mom face on. Chrissy is coming off a heroic year in the exploration of retro-future booty swagging dance music. In May, UK tastemaker label Planet µ released his "future booty gonzo sex bass"* album Women's Studies. In July Murderbot played a set with MC Zulu at Pitchfork fest (See Transmission's coverage and interview with Chrissy and MC Zulu from Pitchfork.). Chrissy just released a hyperactive gluteus maximus themed dance pop EP I'm a Asshole on his own label Loose Squares. The grammatically incorrect title and musical content will send grade school teachers into fits of rage. Before you click on the link below to stream the EP be warned that the lyrics are NSFW in most workplaces, except for Lawrence's Fisheries where you can hear explicit booty music while eating fried fish anytime of the day.

Chrissy Murderbot - "I'm a Asshole" EP [Loose Squares / October 2011] by chrissymurderbot

I'm a Asshole is a historical artifact from alternate Earth-723 where 2 Live Crew moved to Chicago for the scenic snow covered winters and hooked up with earnestly bad boy singers New Edition. In short, it's a 1990 house party narrative compassed into 25 minutes. The joyfully juvenile record is a celebration of Chicago dance and hip-hop rump shakers. Chicago house legend DJ Gant-Man is featured, as well as MC Young Live from The Basix and Add-2. Slow motion Houston crooner and self proclaimed futurist Johnny Moog rounds out the guests.

"The Call of the Booty" and "Back That Thing Up" are the booming radio soundtrack of a summer spent riding BMXs to the beach and water ballooning your middle school principal. Deep Highway 90 Miami bass lines rub up against skittering breakbeats. "Back That Thing Up" takes the lakefront party vibe into the next decade with a sample of Sisqo's "Thong Song" and a sample of a truck in reverse intertwined with Add-2 and Young Live's paean about the wonders of the human backside. In a demonstration of nationwide goodwill shout outs are made to the hind parts of Chicago, Detroit, Miami, New York, Atlanta, and LA. From this dataset we can infer that Chicago MCs see the Midwest and East Coast as a cascading booty rush.

"I Nutted In You," "Pop That Shit," and "Girl" are all high BPM bass rumbling Ghetto House workouts. Chrissy Murderbot uses them as a treasure map as he weaves in samples and musical references to classic Midwest dance tracks. The First Amendment is displayed in full effect on the title track "I'm a Asshole." On top of an earworm bubbling reggae beat is a love it or hate affair of questionably humorous put downs provided by Johnny Moog that would make a Wriglyville cab driver blush.

As a physical object the record reflects the audio contents. Ray The Destroyer illustrated the hyperprism fly girl and wildlife scene on the cover with a nod to Wu-Tang's catalog of ice cream flavors. Completing the vibe is the vinyl itself being a color only the '80s would love.

The EP is a raunchy collection of songs that'll have you seriously considering if it's time to bring your high fade haircut back. I'm A Asshole is put out on Murderbot's Chicago artist heavy label Loose Squares. You can find a copy at Reckless Records, Gramaphone Records or mail order it directly from Chrissy Murderbot.

*"Future booty gonzo sex bass" is the genre description from the high brow UK periodical The Wire.