Tarsius, Primetime

Tarsius Primetime

 

Side A
ESP
Deathless Gods
Cosmic Convergence
Association Dues
Whirling Dervish
Anarchy In The Ukay

Side B
Black Saturday
Chosen Few
Nightlife
No Way Jose
From The Mountains
Chosen few

Primate is the debut album from laptop and drums duo Tarsius, comprised of wunderkind Diego Mapa (Pedicab, The Diegos, among others) and Jay Gapasin (The Radioactive Sago Project). Combining samples, electronic tracks, live drum tracks, as well as vocals from several collaborators, Primate is an eclectic collection that moves from dance-floor fillers such as “Deathless Gods,” to drum-and-bass throwbacks like “Chosen Few,” to darker, more contemplative efforts such as “Whirling Dervish.” Mapa’s and Gapasin’s broad interest in electronic music is apparent throughout Primate, as is their belief in the “no rules, no thinking” philosophy of major influences such as Daedelus.

Apart from Daedelus, Mapa counts Four Tet’s collaboration with legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid as a source of inspiration. Unlike the Four Tet-Reid improvisational project, however, Tarsius welcomes the possible confusion caused by having live drums playing over electronic beats. “Sometimes we lose our groove,” says Mapa, “but there’s a really ecstatic feeling when we connect again on a track.” This preference for performing electronic music as a band can be seen in Tarsius’s transformation from a solo bedroom project to a two-man team. On Primate, Mapa and Gapasin extend the project further by collaborating with artists such as Slow Hello, Archaster, Evil Scientists, Caliph8 and Malek Lopez.