Modern Primate

I first met Nick Koenig, AKA Hot Sugar, while playing Street Fighter 3 with my friends Brad and Layla. Or maybe it was Katamari Damaci. I forget. We were playing some video game when in walked this dude with the worst haircut I’d ever seen, wearing a coral colored T-shirt with the words “Murder Butt” scrawled on it in black Sharpie.

I don’t think I spoke more than about 3 words to Nick that night, but I started following his Tumblr the next day, and discovered that he makes some pretty badass music.

Fast forward to yesterday and Hot Sugar’s newest EP Moon Money has just been released on Ninja Tune. The thing about Hot Sugar that I appreciate is that while he has an all-together unique pallet his songs actually have coherent melodies. Not once does his music strike me as derivative. Unlike 90% of what I hear elsewhere, I never catch myself saying, “this sounds just like…” because it doesn’t sound a whole lot like anything else out there. But at the same time, there’s something oddly familiar yet just beyond the threshold of my ability to recall it.

“The Kid Who Drowned at Summer Camp” is at times reminiscent of Air’s Moon Safari, but far less sultry and more melancholy. There’s something genuine about the feelings this one evokes.

“#Mindcontrol” and “Addictions” both have something of a nostalgic feel, and rather than go on describing the music, I’ll just post a link to where you can listen and buy it because you’ll need to hear it for yourself.