May was was busy month for queer nightlife original music–just in time for mass re-openings of dance floors across NYC!
Aja with Dai Burger, “Horsewh!p”
The New York rapper’s massive (20 tracks!) new record Crown is already getting lots of buzz for it’s dueling aggressive and reflective vibes. This track in particular, which has the larger-than-life Drag Race alum joining forcers with fierce queer hip hop icon Dai Burger and recurring collaborator DJ Accident Report, has been a particular critical standout. With a savagely supernatural swagger, Aja and Dai call out a “fake witch” ass–and, well… I’d hate to be on this wicked pair’s shitlist with nothing but a phony spell book in my inventory.
Bobby Duron, “Mars” (Official Audio / Original Mix)
Cruise-tastic local DJ Lorant, founder of Royal Advisor Records, enlisted a cadre of producers to ride along for the cosmic voyage that is this latest label compilation, Our Music: Astral Bodies. Here’s Duron’s take on the assignment–a fellow leather bear party DJ overlord, Bobby was inspired by the recent mission to Mars with this deep house groove.
Brett Oosterhaus with Kalia Medeiros, “Are You Living” (Club Remix, Audio)
Known for weaving soaring female vocals into stomping house beats, circuit DJ Oosterhaus strikes again with this rousing new fist-pumping, wrist-bending ass-shaker.
Bright Light Bright Light, “Arms of Another”
Die hard fans of the Welsh-born, NYC indie queer music staple will recognize this track as a B-Side for Bright Light Bright Light’s 2014 single “An Open Heart.” Now the mid-tempo bop gets a rainy, sexy-sad video of its own in preparation for next month’s complete compilation of BL2x2’s career-spanning B-Side discography, So Gay. So Dramatic.
Davida Jones, “Fabulous”
Right now it’s only available on YouTube, but is there a better way to enjoy this colorful kook, aka your newly crowned Cherry Grove Homecoming Queen? Shot appropriately in Times Square by fellow Cherry’s on the Bay entertainer JizzaBella (who also appears in the clip), Davida serves the laughs alongside her signature brand of crazy, “fab-uh-luss” fun.
The Dragon Sisters, “The Vibe”
This stunning pair of vogue-tastic drag musicians emerged from that strange microverse of lockdown shows, and now are poised to basically take over (or at the very least reinvent) NYC nightlife. The fun video for their smooth lead single gives us a mere taste of what’s in store for us.
J’royce Jata, “2CUTE”
Speaking of “vibe,” J’royce’s sound is definitely that: all the shades of “earthy,” from sunshine to thunderstorms. This particular track is a joyful breeze (we don’t have time for the bad life), and this gorgeously choreographed clip is both a labor of love and slice of cloud white heaven.
LSDXOXO, “Sick Bitch”
Currently based in Berlin, this iconic DJ / producer / who’s graced the hottest dance floors in NYC and all over the world has fully dropped their sexy-dark EP Dedicated 2 Disrespect this month. Here’s the lead single and video, which premiered in April.
Lagoona Bloo, “Game Boy” (Official Audio)
Lagoona’s fanbase didn’t really need her to release an album to quench their thirst–her live performances and fierce online drag lookbook were enough to do that. But she did it anyway, and everyone’s lost their damn mind. The pop flow of Aqua is as fluid and pristine as its title suggests, with one immaculate well-sung bop after another care of Ms. Bloo and her producer and collaborator SixFoot 5. We can’t wait for more videos to come, but in the meantime we’ll gulp down the sugary wet singles, like this adorbs ode to video gaming with cute boys. Lagoona wants to redefine what the quality of original drag music can be, and we’re happy to ride that wave with her.
Matty Marz, “Love Fool” (Official Lyric Video)
We’re just arriving now to the space-age bubblegum party that is pop artist Matty Marz’s sonic rainbow sound. After we caught wind of Matty doing a recent gig at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn, we look forward to hearing–and seeing–more from this iridescent Love Fool.
Rosé, “The Devil In the Details” (Lyric Video)
Another collaborator of rising queer pop producer SixFoot 5, Lagoona Bloo’s sister Rosé dropped her own soaring single that actually rings a little more heavenly than hellish. Apparently many viewers of her recent turn as a finalist on RuPaul’s Drag Race’s thirteenth season were originally put off by her polished performing perfectionism (one hilarious Twitter crusader even accused her quite poetically of “weaponizing her BFA”); even some of her fellow competitors said the same. But soon, everybody got to know what we New Yorkers already understood about this pink-haired, bright-eyed monster–she’s a good time bitch! This track is a perfect affirmation of that.
Sherry Vine, “I Love Being a Whore”
Before the invention of Drag Race, Instagram, most household appliances and penicillin, there was Sherry! Ms. Vine became an early NYC drag icon because she was too fierce and funny to be anything else, not because she was some desperate fame whore. But these days she’s apparently quite happy to embrace a more general whoredom, and we’re better off for that. Known largely for what must be hundreds of (brilliant) dick-and-fart song parodies at this point, this old school punk-drenched original is a welcome addition to Sherry’s whacky discography. And it dropped just in time for a whole new generation of fans to embrace her, care of her riotous new OUTtv vehicle The Sherry Vine Variety Show.
Stewart Taylor, “Cover Boy”
Cute boy, cute song, cute video? Yes, please, and thank you! The New York born Stewart Taylor is apparently LA-based now, but he can be an East Coast Cover Boy any time he wants. Video Bonus: we’re here, there and anywhere for stellar New York-turned-LA dancing demigod Trevor Silva.
Vegas Valentine, “Fathoms”
Sometimes you follow a local music artist early in their career and dig their sound and their look, and wonder what that moment might look like when they create something really great that could connect with a wide audience. With this dubstep dirge and absolutely haunting video, that moment might be now for theatrical dark pop pirate Vegas Valentine, and it’s kind of thrilling. From the poetic French a cappella intro, to the strobing spectral backdrops, to the creepy-cute puppet stand-in for Vegas racing through a model nightmare city to evade a quartet of ravaging monster gods (Avant Garbage, Little Nella, Megami & Keith G. Tolbert II) on the chase… everything about this is just weird enough to fascinate without being off-putting. We can’t imagine the oceans of love, sweat and artistry that Vegas, director / puppeteer Matthew ZanFanga and all the cast crew poured into this project. “Fathoms” is early 90’s MTV at its most iconic, and we want more.
Viva Vidalia, “Get to Know You” (Lyric Video)
Many knew our girl Viva for her fierce dance performances as a Brooklyn and West Village drag queen, but only a blessed few witnessed how talented of a music maker she was. Besides being a classically trained opera singer and multi-instrumental musician, Ms. Vidalia was also a prolific lyricist and composer. Is, not was! Viva quite recently left NYC for Texas, you see, which is our loss. But this dark, soulful, complex, slow burn of a track is everyone’s gain.
Stream all these songs on Spotify via Thotyssey’s THOTify Gaylist.
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