(TOAD COLLECTIVE~TASTE OF TOAD~FIRST ISSUE)
Welcome to June's sonic treasures, carefully curated by the TOAD COLLECTIVE. Each track here carries an aura of nostalgia. The sonic evolutions of the tracks- from experimental NY hip-hop, to British jerk rap, to Euro trance-hardcore, or French dreamscape- all imbibe the listener with the feeling of scattered reminiscence. These sounds float through consciousness like half-remembered dreams… That type of haze that glazes us over when pieces of memory flitter through our field of vision upon discovering long forgotten photos from a thumb-drive recovered from the attic. Each track is a gateway to moments thought lost to time. Enjoy :)
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
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Nakel Smith is a triple threat- pro skater, actor, & musician. He initially came up off his connections to Odd Future (rap collective featuring breakout artists like Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean). This track comes from his 2023 album titled “FREE POPS FR” in which Kel opens up about his emotional turmoil from his fathers imprisonment. “LOVE YOURSELFF” closes out on a sentimental note with a sample of Kel asking for his father’s permission to use their phone convos from prison on the album.
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DJ Worm is a DJ coach in Moscow and has won several Russian and world DJing competitions. Worm’s collaboration with Eurohead & SPÖKE- two heavy hitting Swedish Euro-hardcore/trance house DJs- makes for a nightcore adjacent sound that brings us back to the early 2000’s.
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Fakemink, a vital member of London’s underground hip-hop scene drops us straight into this deep-fried, almost inaudible intro in his 2024 self-titled single “Mink.” The abrasiveness of the bass-boosted intro eases us into his unique take on the LA jerk beat. All of Mink’s beat’s are self-produced- with the glitchcore-esc melodic samples on this track adding that Y2K nostalgic feel.
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Alleen Plains is a side project and alias for the indie-bedroom-pop musician Weiland. The muted synth & marimba overlaying the reverb heavy vocals on Plains’s 2024 single “Live Small Party Huge” takes us to a place of reverie and dissociated yearning. Closing out with a barely intelligible sample from a confused phone call- it’s almost as if Plains lets the dissonant saxophone riff in the outro speak his feelings for him.
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