PROPA TINGZ is responsible for some of the biggest dance floor bangers to emerge from the west coast scene in recent years. Originally hailing from the UK PropaTingz made his way to San Francisco and has since emerged as one of the hottest names on the US Nu-school electronica scene. Under his previous moniker as BreakBeatBuddha he helped forge the now lauded California Glitch Hop scene alongside artists such as the Glitch Mob, edit and Laser Sword. As PropaTingz he is widely acknowledged as the pioneer of Glitch Step, a bad bwoy sound clash of Bay Area Hyphy, Dirty South Crunk, UK Bass and the cutting edge of Glitch. But to see how he got here lets rewind and take it from the edge.......
Although hailing from humble beginnings PROPATINGZ with his unmistakably British
delivery and his brash, in-your-face, bottom-heavy beats have brought on a worldwide buzz for the electronic music producer. Born Anthony Traynor, he was raised in the badlands of Wolverhampton in a public housing project which was notoriously rough. Although often seduced by the rush of violence and crime he managed to find a focus within the Graffiti and Hip Hop scenes. From that point on began a love affair with the underground which would take him across the globe. Here he found not only a context in which he could be free of the repression that enveloped him but in this he also found a tool with which to change and challenge that very realty; music and art as powerful weapons in a revolutionary struggle for freedom of self.
"Its not just about partying or having a good time......its about being us and being free. Its a kind of voodoo, a thing we do to reclaim ourselves. Its says a lot about the society we live in. Mobile phones, cappuccinos and 9 - 5 makes it look like we are happy....but there is something missing and thats what the underground is about....."
He took his cues from the masters of the underground, artists such as Derrick May
(Godfather of Detroit Techno), Erik B & Rakim, KRS 1, and later, Drum and Bass producers, Dillinja and Goldie. His first gigs saw him playing warehouse parties in London, Manchester and Birmingham, cutting his teeth on live sets with the likes of "Death in Vegas", the "Capoeira Twins" and holding down a residency at Brighton's infamous Zen Bar before blazing a trail West and finding a haven in the Burning Man community.
PROPA TINGZ has been immersed in the US underground electronic scene for 8 years now and has claimed center stage on the DJ circuit.. Recent years have seen PropaTingz/Break Beat Buddha on numerous releases, including his explosive debut album "Mind Bombin' (2007), "The New Resistance" EP (2008) and collaborations/compilations with Bassnectar, Talvin Singh and Dj Spooky amongst others. His production is attracting interest globally catching the attention of heavy hitters such as FreQ Nasty who collaborated with him on 'Peacemaker', track 2 of his Fabric live 42 CD (FABRIC, LONDON), and similarly with Vienna's bass emperor "STEREOTYP" (G-stone recordings, Crunch Time). In the pipe line PropaTingz brings a remix project with KRS 1 and Heavy weight Dub Champion on Champion Nation recordings, a single with FreQ Nasty, and the first PropaTingz studio album. 2009 looks to be a big year for the San
Francisco/Midlands Glitch and Bass Maestro.
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"Mind Bombin" is a wicked mixture of glitchy breaks and heavy down-tempo with some good guest vocals/ MC work mixed over a sonic palette that very much leans towards the low end. The tracks here ooze with ridiculously hefty bass and beats that completely embrace the digital realm of musical expression and totally ignore convention when melding their influences. I mean seriously, in theory its easy to think that combining hip-hop, dancehall, IDM glitch, digital funk, down-tempo and breakbeats would work, but in execution its no small feat. And 3B makes it look silly easy here.
BreakbeatBuddha's latest offering is a great attempt at interjecting a bit of social awareness into the dance scene via breakbeat and come-down-tempo. Mind Bombin presents the ideals of collective consciousness to crowds who, let's be honest here, sometimes have a difficult time even grasping its simpler, more marketable little brother ... PLUR. But too few have made the effort to positively influence dance culture and 3B has to be applauded in this regard.
The point here is made with a solid musical backdrop and playfully accessible titles like "Buddha Bounce" and "Sleezy Geeza". The tracks ably blend a large array of influences (musical and otherwise) into one very cohesive thump, and on the dancefloor the outcome is more than a good effort - its a good time. As a whole, this album manifests its artist's passions and lets the message mix with the music and makes them both bump." ~ Bijou Breaks
