From so many amazing albums in 2019, two releases on Purple Tape Pedigree (PTP) by emerging talents Dis Fig and YATTA stood out. Dis Fig, New Jersey born and now Berlin-based, came to prominence DJ’ing at the Trade parties in Berlin before moving away from club-oriented sounds for the brooding, intense industrial-noise sounds of her LP ‘Purge’. YATTA is an interdisciplinary artist, digipoet and musician that, on their second full album ‘WAHALA’, explores the theme of identity – “of being black, being trans, and being African on foreign land.” Check out interviews with both of these artists below, along with videos and full streams of their releases in 2019. We welcome them both to join us at Rewire 2020 for two forward-thinking live performances.
As Dis Fig, Felicia Chen explores her own vulnerability via a pallet of noise, power electronics and orchestral composition that treads the line between the brutal and the sublime. Chen’s own voice is at the heart of her album and performance, which ranges from tender choral moments to agonising screams and back again. Telekom Electronic Beats editor Chloe Lula interviewed Dis Fig in March, and on her motivations for ‘Purge’ she said “PURGE is really an emotional purge, and specifically my emotional purge, or your emotional purge. A lot of it stems from being away from home for a while and in Berlin in the bubble that I feel like I live in. A lot of the struggles that the album stems from are personal struggles that I’ve abandoned at home and political struggles that the United States is experiencing.”
Watch the video for ‘Unleash’, directed by Alice Z Jones:
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/6O0voPibSPY?feature=oembed
YATTA began releasing music in 2016, with their jazz influenced album ‘Spirit Said Yes!’, which incorporated the use of drones, field recordings and sampled vocals. This esoteric mix of methods sees YATTA expand upon their sonic world with the release of ‘WAHALA’ in 2019, in which voice takes a more prominent position as YATTA explores their own identity in more depth. Forging one of the most unique and engaging albums of the year, ‘WAHALA’ was recognised by Pitchfork in their top experimental albums of 2019 list which can be found here.. The Wire’s Stephanie Phillips sat down with YATTA to discuss their artistic process, influences and identity in this extensive interview.
Watch the video for ‘I Will Definitely Feel Good’, directed by YATTA:
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/SHMHY8pbU4E?feature=oembed
To get a taste of what to expect from both Dis Fig and YATTA before their performances at Rewire 2020, stream both of their 2019 releases on Purple Tape Pedigree in full below: