Eccentric Dance

Here's a sample of quality, occasionally wacky dance tracks from the last few months, with a particular focus on some Bay Area and New York City producers that cull sounds from hip hop and Eastern Europe, among other sources and influences.

Mochipet (Daly City, CA-based, born in Taiwan) produces glitchy, crunky, overloaded hip hop and performs while wearing a purple dinosaur costume. His remix of "Pumping Quarterz" by Splatinum (Seattle) is available on that group's free EP. You can find plenty of his other intensely ridiculous and wonderful tracks on Soundcloud.

Splatinum - Pumping Quarterz (Mochipet Remix) [mp3] (Bandcamp)

Opiuo (Melbourne-based, originally from New Zealand) just released the full-length Slurp and Giggle, which includes "Patchouli Dump Truck."

Opiuo - Patchouli Dump Truck [mp3] (Addictech)

Knowa Knowone (San Francisco) has released this remix of "Hoo Haa" by Mightyfools (Netherlands) on a free single, along with a mediocre remix of Rihanna's "Rude Boy."

Mightyfools - Hoo Haa (4 Centers + Knowa Knowone Remix) [mp3] (Bandcamp)

Hobotech (Brooklyn) is a collective that applies the aesthetic of the American vagabond to electronic dance music, and does so with surprising success. The group is spearheaded by Jon Margulies, who has now formed the Hobo Kings with Haj of Sub Swara (also from Brooklyn) to remix that group's "Belgrade Riddim."

Sub Swara - Belgrade Riddim (Hobo Kings O Belgrade Where Art Thou Remix) [mp3] (Hobotech)

Cumba Mela (Brooklyn/Queens) is a DJ trio that plays around with a lot of global beats and sounds. They currently have a Monday-night residency at Bembe in Williamsburg, if you're in the area and interested in dancing your Monday night away. Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man" is already a pretty groovy track, and Cumba Mela's Thornato hones in on that and expands upon it with some electronics and Latin percussion, making it into a superfun party tune.

Willie Dixon - Back Door Man (Thornato Remix) [mp3] (Soundcloud)