Rising Ballroom/Garage/House producer “Cvnt” gives us his current Top 10 in the Ballroom/House genre.
CUNT: (adj) a term used in gay slang to describe someone who is impressive, original or fantastic in regards to style or demeanour.
1. Vjuan Allure “Bandit” EP [Hot Moms USA]
When it comes to ballroom and vogue house, Vjuan is basically God, and it helps that he’s a really top bloke too. The lead track on this (“Natives R Restless”) I heard tearing the roof off Stereo in Glasgow in May and I have been waiting for it ever since. It could actually cross over, it really is that big! Though I am biased cos his sound and dj sets are everything for me. But I have yet to meet a dance music fan who doesn’t love Vjuan’s style, regardless of race or age or orientation or ballroom status – he’s just that good!
2. Rushmore “HOT002″ EP [House Of Trax]
My homie! House Of Trax are one of the only crews in the UK doing similar stuff to CVNT and repping ballroom/vogue, and they’ve been supportive of me since the start. They even put the debut London CVNT set! Rushmore is one of the residents, and this EP is heavy and minimal dancefloor darkness. It’s under lock and key til the official release, so here’s an older Rushmore track:
3. BEEK Telekuntx [Knightwerk Records]
More from Knightwerk. Beek is one of the most exciting artists coming up in ballroom right now. He has a style all his own, even if it’s influenced by some of the big hitters like Mike Q and Divoli S’Vere, but he manages to put his own twist on things to make it heavy, fresh and SICKENING. We’re due to collab on something pretty soon and, like me, she also loves queen bitch JA’MIE KING!!!
4. Tony Playboi ‘The Nasty One” EP [Knightwerk Records]
Another one of the upcoming children, Tony\’s been producing for a wee while and it’s great to hear his style coming on, somewhere in the middle between ballroom and Baltimore, but with the overdrive turned right up for maximum crunchiness. This three track EP is a free download on the new Cali label Knightwerk, who are doing some very exciting things right now.
5. Get Em & Sugur Shane “Move To The Light”
Also taking its cue from classic 90s Tribal, and backed with a whole load of remixes, is the latest release from Sugur Shane & DJ Get Em, upcoming scene children from Philly. Shane’s a wicked vocalist I have worked with on my “Death Drops” EP, and she is NOT scared of speaking her opinions!! Best remixes on this for me are from Serving Ovahness and Chad Jack.
6. Roxy & Ride Committee “Synthetic (CVNT Remixes)” [Unreleased]
The perfect cross over between old way house and nu skool ballroom, it’s been an honour for me to remix these guys! RC & Roxy were faves of mine in the late 90s, their awesome deep Tribal sounds and Roxy’s outrageously camp bitchery are a big influence on CVNT’s aesthetic. Not sure when these remixes will see the light of day, but you will hear them in my sets for sure!
This one is not online yet but you can hear it in this mix:
TRACKLISTING
The Fog – Been A Long Time (CVNT TR4XXX Mix)
Craig ft Dajae – Mary Mary (Bok Bok Vocal Reconstruction)
Kelela – Guns & Synths
Rushmore – Bitch Please
Get Em & Sugar Shane – Move To The Light (Acapella)
Zanojin – Passenger Side
Auntie Flo – Zulu Death March (Weep Weep(
Trumpet & Badman – Go!
Roxy & Ride Committee Get Huh (Kutz Mix)
DJ Haus & Dedboi – Slip’n'Slide
Vjuan Allure – The Urge
Get Em & Sugar Shane – Move To The Light (Serving Ovahness Remix)
Lil Mo Ying Yang – Reach (Erick Morillo Remix)
Roxy & Ride Committee – Synthetic (CVNT TR4XXX Catwalk Mix)
Rokk Feat Dean Atta – Young Black Gay (Digs BloodSugar Remix)
The Joy Boyz – Pass It On
Harddrive – No Cure
7. Trumpet & Badman “Love Keeps Changing” EP [Hot Haus Records]
Trumpet & Badman is a collab between DJ Q & DJ Haus, and this EP is a throwback to the classic Jersey house style of the mid 90s, which is a major part of the roots of the ballroom/vogue sound. I play a lot of those old tunes in my sets anyway, so this EP fits right in there. Also, cos each of the 4 tracks is a banger, it’s always in my box.
8. Josh Caffe & David Newtron “Let Love Ruin” [Batty Bass Records]
Some straight up four to the floor business, and more towards the slick end of modern house this time, but the vibe is just right! A spoken word delivery over a spiky house rhythm goes on to blossom into a full, sung melody, with lovely chords. Another class release on Batty Bass, from one of the residents of London’s Banjee Boy Realness night. WERK!
9. Kelela “Cut 4 Me” LP {Fade To Mind]
This is also not exactly ballroom, even though there’s some ghostly “ha’s” floating around in the mix. Kelela is a singer with a gorgeous voice and a great neo-soul delivery, and this is her first album. I really dig the Fade To Mind/Night Slugs broken/synth/funk sound, which sometimes crosses over into the more forward end of ballroom, so to hear it as the bedrock of a vocal album is a treat.
10. Zebra Kats “DRKLNG” LP [Zebra Trackz]
ZK had a bit of a break-out hit a few years ago with “Ima Read”, and unlike some other “hip” ballroom-associated rappers I could mention, spent the following 2 years honing and refining his sound as opposed to serving Twitter shade. This ain’t ballroom, but it’s definitely inspired by it in a way – it’s heavy and minimal and electronic, and ZK really stands out from the current wave of gay MCs.
Check out Cvnt’s latest release, which we covered back HERE:
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