The phrase, first popularized by Olivia Newton-John and more recently coined by Dua Lipa, "let's do a little exercise" could serve as the motto of Malaysia, Shanghai and Taipei, DJ Tzusing's second album Green Hat . It's not the texture of polyester-covered hips and fingers, or the plastic sheen of a disco ball that crumbles under it; Instinct is the heartbeat, the blood pumping through every vessel, the adrenaline that somehow pushes you past the controls for those few crucial steps. This is the physical condition that comes when words do not serve you; When you finally realize you don't have that dance.
Calling Green Hat a techno album would be unfair to the purist branch of LIES. And while he can directly name his influences, from EBM and Chicago house to the wuxia action genre, he infuses them into a bass industrial sound with even cinematically evocative instrumentation. Rather than being defined or broken down by genres. "I think about emotions," he once said of his production style. And often this feeling is explosive. Not a tumor?
If you are interested in the name Green Hat , the introductory track "Intro" immediately explains everything: "The green hat is the Chinese symbol for Satan" shouts the voice of a robot woman. Building on the cultural norms he explored on his 2017 debut album Invincible Birth , Tsing uses the green hat to directly confront issues of fragile masculinity and gender expectations. Instead of giving direct answers, he stirs up that anxiety and anger and boils it down with the album's angry beat into crushing synths, screams, screams and drum clips that crush on all fours. In "Advantage" he tries to play Daniel Plainview's famous "I'll drink your milkshake" line from There Will Be Blood . Where Susing's name is out of place and東方不敗( Invincible East) is respectively industrial and melodic, Green Hat organizes these directions into a chaotic and expansive sound. Acidic drumming turns delightfully diabolical on "Exascale" before the sudden Aphex Twin-esque atmosphere sweeps you away on "Wear Green Hat".
Here the usual Tsusing tin drumming and stringing becomes more lush, dynamic and terrifying. The opening riff on the first single, "Filial Endure Ruthless," transitions to sharp synths towards the end of the song. Not even in the style of "Woo" LMFAO! The bass can handle the threat of an interlude that slides under a slightly elevated synth track. Despite being one of the least controversial lyrics, Sudha's track "Klout Tunnel" keeps the album hellishly chaotic. It's like "Five Alarm Fire," with sticky drums, shrill screams, and smoke-covered background cues. Get up and let's not forget the animal touches – the wails, hysterical screams and outright barks – that add palpable flesh and blood to the metalwork.
