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MTV Desi Exclusive Song: “Snake Charmer” by Bangladeafy
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For a band with most of “Bangladesh” in their name, the New York drum and bass duo Bangladeafy doesn...For a band with most of “Bangladesh” in their name, the New York drum and bass duo Bangladeafy doesn’t have a ton of traditional influence in their songs. Their tracks are generally complex, yet brief jabs that go straight for the eardrums’ most vulnerable points. With all the machine gun instrumentation, we can tell these little sound missiles take forever to construct.
When we asked Bangladeafy for a track that would please the ears of our readers, bassist Jonny Germ let out a series of high-pitched shrieks, which prompted drummer Atif Haq to translate: they had just the thing. It’s called “Snake Charmer” and you can only hear it right here.
Snake Charmer
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Wasn’t that the most jarring yet pleasing two-and-a-half minutes of your day so far? Atif promised us that it would “Bhangra the [expletive deleted] out of you,” and we sincerely hope that it did. This little gem was inspired not by a snake or a person who makes a living charming them, but by a member of the animal kingdom that inspires many aspects of Bangladeafy’s sound. We speak, of course, of the menacing pistol shrimp. If you are unaware of its clout, we’re about to learn you some ocean floor street smarts. (If you’ve got an extra minute, try playing “Snake Charmer” and the video below at the same time).
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New York’s Bangladeafy: One Part Bangladeshi, One Part Deaf
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Monday, November 1, 2010 by Abdullah in Music
Life on Long Island breeds just enough boredom for...Monday, November 1, 2010 by Abdullah in Music
Life on Long Island breeds just enough boredom for kids to pick up their instruments and learn the hell out of them. Add the deteriorating standard requiring a guitar and you begin to get a picture of Bangladeafy’s framework.
Bangladeafy with Bleach. Photo Credit: Gregory Van Hassel and Vanessa Ungar
Named for a partially deaf bass player and a fully Bangladeshi drummer, Bangladeafy found each other for a lack of other musicians in their native St. James who could keep up. The rapid, forceful, and intensely technical rhythms of this two-piece stem from a common love for Squarepusher and the members’ respective abilities to bring such complexity to live instruments. While this evokes images of Primus, it’s far less musically esoteric. You could breeze through a Bangladeafy set and find yourself thrashing, or just counting the meters, or both simultaneously. The listener need only an affinity for speed.
There are lyrics to Bangladeafy songs, but they do little more than garnish the music with bass player/vocalist Jon Ehlers’ shrill stabs of speech. Drummer Atif Haq twists 4/4 time beyond recognition, and the bass lines turn from tripped out tap sequences to smooth melodies on a dime.
“Most of the techniques I apply are my own interpretations of mimicking noisy synthesizers as best as I can,” says Ehlers. In Haq, a self-taught virtuoso, he found a kindred spirit with a “uniquely violent approach to the drums.”
The tracks are beginning to pile up on the band’s debut, a tribute to paranoia in the age of the New York City’s bed bug epidemic. Bangladeafy are constructing This is Your Brain on Bugs from a back log of bits and pieces they’ve accumulated.
Conceptually, things will likely get deeper and weirder. The band’s affinity for the unconventional might reach into the sci-fi realm next.
“A possible concept for our next album involves a society forced to live on artificial oxygen three miles underground, but are more obsessed with fashion than with surviving,” says Ehlers.
Whatever the story might be, you’ll feel it if they beat it into your head like they do with the handful of tracks on their MySpace page. Let’s hope the violence continues.
Bangladeafy are playing at Connie’s Ric Rac in Philadelphia on November 13th.
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Meek Is Murder/Set Aflame/Bandladeafy/Psycho Enhancer Public Assembly
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Tuesday, August 10
After the crushing disappointment of last week's canceled Destroyer 666 show, ...Tuesday, August 10
After the crushing disappointment of last week's canceled Destroyer 666 show, Tuesday night's affair at Brooklyn's Public Assembly provided some small amount of solace and relief. Though none of the bands fit the pure-metal bullet-belts-and-leather aesthetic of those sorely missed Aussie black-thrashers, each of the four acts managed to offer up some kind of musical extremity, be it brute force or mind-boggling bass wizardry.
Long Island's Psycho Enhancer, undeterred by their lack of a bassist (a job opportunity they advertised twice during the show) or the eight-person crowd, kicked off the evening with a few straightforward hardcore-punk jams about partying, fighting, and (my personal favorite topic) Wednesday Wing Night. They managed to get at least one person doing spin kicks in the middle of the crowd, which for NYC hardcore bands constitutes a win.
The bass noodlings audible as Bandladeafy tuned up hinted at some kind of squiggly tech-death outfit in the Braindrill vein, but as the set began no guitarist had materialized. Instead, bassist Jonny Germ and drummer Atif Haq played a form of high-speed drum 'n' bass that sounded like the bass trickery of Les Claypool grafted over the manic-rapped vocals of Faith No More. Metal it is not, but fans of music for musicians could do worse.
Set Aflame, who drove all the way up from Houston, provided the most traditional metallic instrumentation of the evening, pushing a collection of catchy, Swedish-inspired metalcore riffage and some enthusiastic windmilling. Their sound may be a few years past its artistic peak, and frontman Johnny Ybarra looks like he spends a little too much time on his hair, but they provided a welcome release for all my pent-up headbanging urges. Lose the skinny jeans and v-necks and we'll be alright.
Mike Keller, former Red Chord guitarist and current mastermind of Meek Is Murder (great name), looks pretty harmless, but holy jeez he can squeeze some pretty ugly (in a good way) sounds out of his guitar. MIM has gotten some pretty good press from NYC metal blog MetalSucks, and with good reason: As Keller and Co. squeal, blast, grind, and screech their way through their 15-minute set, they never forget to give the audience something to grasp onto even during a minute-long song: a sudden downtempo doomy riff, or a hint of melody. Keller's brand of caustic, spasming grind is the perfect soundtrack for a seizure. The good kind.
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Bangladeafy
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Posted on September 7, 2010 by Poco Party
I’m proud that my little cuz turned into a musician. A... Posted on September 7, 2010 by Poco Party
I’m proud that my little cuz turned into a musician. At that, one with taste. I should have known when I introduced him to Squarepusher at age 11.
My cousin, Eissa, recently played me a few songs by some friends of his, a duo out of New York called Bangladeafy. One brown, and one partially deaf, this bass&drum two piece belts out complicated riffs, but never get too technical with song contruction. All the appeals of drive and headphone candy alike are present: the kind of shit Sunny Ali and the Kid can both appreciate with the most disparate of their tastes.
I like this.
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August 13th @ The Irish Viking
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Bangladeafy is my favorite band out there right now, signed or unsigned... a 2 piece band of explo...
Bangladeafy is my favorite band out there right now, signed or unsigned... a 2 piece band of explosive drums and bass work that rivals some of the best bass players in the world today... If I could, I would have Bangladeafy open and close every show that Jefferson Avenue Productions puts together
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Trash Bar
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The headliner of the night came in the form of two men clad in plumed bandannas named BANGLADEAFY! ...The headliner of the night came in the form of two men clad in plumed bandannas named BANGLADEAFY! Perhaps the most difficult to describe of the lineup, the best collection of words one could possibly throw together to coherently describe them may have been better accomplished by throwing a fistful of magnetic poetry on a fridge - several hours writing this article were wasted trying - the most appropriate thing that came to mind was a near-instrumental math metal duo manned by bassist Jonny Germ, and his drummer buddy Atif Haq. Between drum beats that pumped like a hummingbird heart and bass work that somehow manages to require no compromise between speed and precision, what lyrical content to be found is not unlike the overall sound of the band: loud and plenty. Between sets, Jonny was something of a card. Often laden with high spirits and the vivacity of a two year old guzzling an energy drink (which might be expected considering his play style), it was hard for the audience not to liven up after a few songs from this eccentric group.
Although you may not see this lineup gather again like this for awhile, you can catch each of these bands around the New York/Brooklyn area. BANGLADEAFY! has a lineup of shows coming around the Long Island and Brooklyn area, The Gypsy West will be at Arlene's Grocery (QRO venue review) on May 13th, Peck will be in Bowery Electric on May 26th, and Sylvana Joyce & The Moment will be playing at Crash Mansion (QRO venue review) next week on the 27th
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Bangladeafy Live @ Bowery Electric
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Team blaqbook and Mel from fauxrealfashion.blogspot.com/ headed over to Bowery Electric last month t...Team blaqbook and Mel from fauxrealfashion.blogspot.com/ headed over to Bowery Electric last month to catch Bangladeafy, Ellis Ashbrook, and Monuments set. It was definitely an awesome line up. The night started off with Two piece, Bangladeafy bringing the house down with their Primusesque sound. Enjoy!
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Bangladeafy!
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BANGLADEAFY!
www.Sonicbids.com/bangladeafy
Bangladeafy.bandcamp.com
bangladeafy.com
facebook
...BANGLADEAFY!
www.Sonicbids.com/bangladeafy
Bangladeafy.bandcamp.com
bangladeafy.com
facebook
1. How did you get your band name?
Jon and I were at a party hosting a beer pong tournament and signing up required a team name. I thought it would be fitting, clever and hilarious to call us 'Bangladeafy' considering that Jon is partially deaf and I am Bangladeshi.
2. How did this band get started?
Jon and I met at an open jam in St. James New York. After jamming together, we found mutual respect in each other's cutting-room like styles and talked about starting a project. After playing together in multiple failed projects, we gave being a two piece a go. That was the start of BD.
3. What bands are you influenced by?
Marnie Stern, Squarepusher, Mr. Bungle, Mike Patton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Melt Banana, Zack Hill, Snow Boy and The Latin Section etc.
4. If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Marnie Stern. Cause she is hilarious and a total hottie. She's also at the frontier of the kind of music we really love. I think our styles would be really awesome together on a tour.
5. Best food to eat on tour?
Steak burritos. They give us POWER!
6. Why should people listen to your band?
Because we're really fun, danceable, face melting, gritty yet musically intelligent and we have a completely new sound.
7. If you could be any athlete, which athlete would you switch places with?
Brian Wilson of the San Fransisco Giants. That beard is fucking awesome.
8. If you won a Grammy, who would you thank?
Our family, Jefferson Ave Productions, and Christopher Walken.
9. If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?
We would want the music industry to focus more on the quality of music they release as opposed to making profit. Profit obviously shouldn't be jettisoned out of the equation but the distribution of effort could be changed. There are so many truly great bands that could be revolutionary given the proper support.
10. Memorable tour experience?
Watching the best band we've ever seen at a basement in Rhode Island called "Two Ton Bug".
11. What does AP.net mean to you?
Independence and a DIY perspective.
12. What is your favorite song to play?
We do this gnarly version of the 'King of the Hill' theme song. Playing that is always a good time.
13. What is your vacation spot of choice?
Redondo Beach, California.
14. What music reminds you of your childhood?
Atif: Bollywood music.
Jon: Southern Rock
15. If you could have any super power, what would it be? Why?
Definitely the ability to fly because New York City traffic blows.
16. Any pre-show superstitions or rituals?
We eat carbs and drink red bulls.
17. What is something that most fans don't know about you?
We are Banksy.
18. What is your assessment of the current state of radio? Do you think it's a place where your band could flourish?
FM radio is a post asteroid dinosaur. It's on it's way out. The demographic of listeners will shrink as the years go on due to smart phone and computer technology. Applications like Pandora is without a doubt the future of radio. I think we could certainly flourish there. Millions of bands get exposure though popular Internet radio as opposed to the five bands that get spun on any given FM radio station. If you can get onto Internet radio, and you're truly exceptional, you've got a shot at flourishing.
19. What do you like to do in your spare time?
Catching drinks with good pals, listening to stand up comedy, road trips, making funny videos, and having in depth conversations about what makes good pizza.
20. What kind of hidden talents do you have?
I (Atif) can speak conversational Bengali and can make a mean potato salad. Jon is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, specifically piano, and can communicate with chocolate labs through a series of specifically choreographed karate moves.
supersonic
