Tag: Stimulus swiTCH feat. Swim Good and Taylor Bense

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: STIMULUS Teams Up with K, Le Maestro on Brooding “sEMi”

STIMULUS is a rising Brooklyn-born, Berlin-based artist, DJ and event curator. And if you were frequenting this site earlier this year, you might recall that I wrote about “swiTCH,” a collaboration with Malik Work, Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense and Swim Good that to my ears sounded a bit like a synthesis of Stereo MCs and C+C Music Factory with Larry Levan — but with a modern, self-assured swagger. 

His latest single, the K, LE MAESTRO-produced “SeMi” is a woozy, genre-defying track that pairs the Brooklyn-born, Berlin-based emcee’s swaggering yet deeply introspective, heartbroken flow with an eerily brooding production featuring a looping and twinkling piano sample and skittering trap beats. The song sees STIMULUS completely turning the concept of “keeping it 100” on its head by exploring the beauty and truth in being “semi” — kind of messy, and yet fully human and proud of it.

 “Keeping things ONE HUNDRED is the new keeping it real,” the Brooklyn-born, Berlin-based artist says. “100 is also a popular emoji representing 100% authenticity and 100% certainty. In the song I admit all of the ways in which I am not 100%.”

STIMULUS continues, “sEMi” is about inner struggle, social alienation, and the pursuit of identity. “

The accompanying video is part of a short film associated with the music, which has already won 7 awards at film festivals around Europe. And as you tell is part of a dystopian, near future in which the film’s protagonist goes through a bizarre procedure that gives him odd super powers.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Stimulus Teams Up with Swim Good and Taylor Bense on Deep House Banger “swiTCH”

STIMULUS is a rising Brooklyn-born, Berlin-based artist, DJ and event curator. His latest single “swiTCH” is a collaboration with Malik Work, Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense and Swim Good. Anchored around a lush club friendly production featuring woozily atmospheric synths, a supple bass line, skittering beats and soulful horn stabs paired with clever bars about the weird dynamics between social media and digital life and one’s real lived-in life. Sonically speaking “swiTCH” sounds a bit like a synthesis of Stereo MCs and C+C Music Factory with Larry Levan — but with a modern, self-assured swagger.

“The song is produced by jazz musicians who regularly sat in with Malik and I’s jazz/hip hop band The Real Show,” STIMULUS explains. “They eventually became well known as dance music producers and DJs (No Regular Play) on Wolf + Lamb Records and Kitsune.

“We wanted to combine parts of Brooklyn and Berlin in a way that made sense for both cities.

The lyrics talk about the difference between real life (irl) and its digital representation on social media platforms that’s extremely influenced by algorithms. We want to remind people to trust themselves and each other more than they trust algorithms. We also want to remind people it’s ok to keep parts of your life private and/or off of digital platforms.”