Chee attacks with his Aggressive Generosity
By: Anand Harsh
Having only recently reached the legal age to be allowed into many of the clubs he performs at here in the States, Chee is enjoying his high profile status in the sound design game from his new perch in Philadelphia.
Catching our attention through critically acclaimed releases on Saturate and NOISIA's Division label, Pretoria's loss is our gain, and we tripped over ourselves rushing to book the South African prodigy for The Untz Festival back in June. The real shocker is his complete humility, seeming almost amused at his own success, even as luminaries in the field like G Jones were remixing his break single “Get Hot.”
Trading NorCal for SoCal, Chee performed at Bassrush Massive in July, and in the leadup to the festival stacked with underground bass talent, released his unreleased original, “Midnight,” on the promoter's imprint Bassrush Records as part of an equally stacked compilation. Today Chee adds three more tunes to complete his latest EP, Aggressive Generosity.
The opener/title track pulls no punches, launching into the lilting, lumbering halftime gait of an ancient mechanized warrior hellbent on revenge. “Aggressive Generosity” is unapologetic in its approach to granular synthesis and bleeding edge production technique. For lack of a better analogy, this is Chee peacocking for fellow producers.
Along with “Midnight,” “G String Theory” is the most dance floor focused track on the release, with its immutable devotion to the halftime pulse punctuated by industrial calamity.
If “G String” evokes whispers of SHADES, then “Poker Dot” is giving me EPROM. A flourish of hip-hop sensibilities permeates this synth heavy explosion of gutteral groove, and closes out the collection on a fun note.
Late last week Chee revisited his It Hz. project with fellow Pretorian Jon Casey; he remains busy on the release front and the touring front, heading to Florida this weekend with Huxley Anne and visiting Virginia Beach at the end of next month with Bleep Bloop. Fans continue to ogle and artists shake their heads in wonder at the young virtuoso who dazzles from the shadows.
