Standout Track: The de facto B-side, “Live Ur Fantasy,” a densely rhythmic, slightly bonkers dance track with synthesizer motifs that recall 8-bit video-game music. The teeter-tottering coda has an even stronger Nintendo vibe. (The A-side, a worthy, 93-second remix of the Grammy-nominated Lorde hit, also leans on old-school electronic sounds.)
Musical Motivation: The 23-year-old Silver Spring producer chuckles when asked about the track’s anything-goes feel: “Yeah, I kind of just went crazy with it, like, ‘What if I did this, and what if I did this, and oh, I’m hearing this!'” But he also says that the intensity level is rooted in “Caribbean music and Ghanaian music—-those rhythms. I’m Trinidadian, I grew up with calypso and soca, so when it comes to dance rhythms, the music of the sun, and just energy, that’s where I get it from.”
Groove Connoisseur: 00Genesis says “Live Ur Fantasy” reflects a desire to make more uptempo tunes after years of orienting his sound generally around hip-hop. (He’s connected with Maryland throwback group DTMD.) In some ways, he says, competing with three decades of boom-bap classics can be inhibiting. “When I hear new people doing it, I get bored. The classic stuff remains classic for me,” he says. “But you have to have great sensitivity and taste in order to do it right. If you do it, and it doesn’t sound as good as the classics, then I don’t wanna hear it.”
Listen to “Live Ur Fantasy” after the jump.