Premiere: BLASTAH – “Give It Up To Me”

The globalization of American club sounds has, more often than not, lead to a devolution in the quality, affect and singularity of the source material. This is not a universal truth of course as many producers are adapting and transitioning the sounds of Baltimore, Jersey, Chicago et all into other elastic forms, but for the most part the suburbanite sprawl of club has offered only dilution. Hailing from Lisbon, a hub of native club music in its own right, BLASTAH has manage to straddle the line between co-optation and homage with aplomb, drawing out the key elements from ballroom, Bmore and melding them with dembow, sino-grime and video game music. BLASTAH’s sound is inherently youthful, adventurous and in-your-face, but those qualities has allowed his constructions to override the numerous, oft-abused originals. “Give It Up To Me” is exactly that product, a direct look to Jersey that makes up for its lack of convention with a complete reversal in mood. Exasperation and apprehension, courtesy of moody synth stabs, take the place of the jubilant sexual energy that has become the calling card of Newark and beyond. “Give It Up To Me” is undoubtedly a piece of trans-Atlantic appropriation, but by turning the track’s intent on its head, it breaths new (or different) life into the format.