Buke and Gase x Rahrah Gabor share new single “Pass Impasse”

By Neil Johnson

On January 26, 2022

In News

Buke and Gase and Rahrah Gabor

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Debut EP: Buke and Gase + Rahrah Gabor EP – February 11via Brassland

Pre-order“Valentine’s” launch event date at Public Records

Brooklyn, New York on February 12Tickets

“An appealing mix of Buke And Gase’s idiosyncratic pop sensibility and Rahrah Gabor’s rhymes”Stereogum“Buke and Gase have exemplified the ethos of self-determined musicians, songwriters, and sonic explorers, looking for ways to warp and refine an idiosyncratic craft.” Pitchfork“No other bands sound quite like the duo of Buke & Gase”NPR EP artwork Press shot (lead)Rahrah Gabor press shot (credit Justin French)Buke and Gase press shot

The New York-based experimental duo, Buke and Gase and the Newark, NJ-based rapper, Rahrah Gabor are today sharing their new single, “Pass Impasse” which signposts another exciting preview of their forthcoming self-titled collaborative EP which is set for release via Brassland (Bartees Strange, Hannah Georgas) on February 11. The new EP will mark the first widely available music from Rahrah Gabor while further defining the Aron(e)s as “sonic explorers, looking for ways to warp and refine an idiosyncratic craft” (Pitchfork). The artists will support the release with a “Valentine’s” live date on February 12 at Brooklyn, New York’s Public Records – tickets available here.

Listen to “Pass Impasse”HERE

Following on the heels of the first single, “Taste Up” (which found fans at Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and a spot on Ryan Schreiber’s “Right Now” playlist) is “Pass Impasse” – a thrilling encounter with bulging guitars and off-kilter percussion cut with a scintillating verse from Rahrah Gabor (she/her). When discussing the new single, Arone Dyer (she/her) of Buke and Gase says: “This is an improv which we remixed to entice Rahrah Gabor with lyrics encouraging the listener to “bring new in,” because “life is brief, fill it up to the edge and keep on the move on.”

I’m always asking myself if my cup is half full or half empty, and when I’m closer to empty I remind myself to take a deeper look at what I’m theoretically drinking, maybe add an ingredient or two, or just enjoy the simplicity of the life beverage.”The new EP gravitates around this idea of collaboration and bringing different worlds together. Rahrah Gabor – a moniker for Mariella “Lala” Jimenez – expands on this to say: “I feel like the main theme is found in how the project is structured and composed. Experimentation and collaboration are key in the construction of this project.

Buke & Gase and I have had to embrace one another’s writing and performing styles and trust they would work well together.”The career of Buke & Gase, the duo of Arone and Aron Sanchez (he/him), has one of the more idiosyncratic arcs of any band of the past two decades.

Formed in 2008, they became a cult obsession shortly after the release of their first demo EP, with the left-field indie rock of that release and their first LP earning the attention of luminaries like The National and Lou Reed, and praise from the likes of Pitchfork and Radiolab (which featured the group on three episodes) and NPR (where they played one of the very first Tiny Desk Concerts). Following albums such as General Dome (2013) and Scholars (2019) would diversify the sound with the pair opening up for Flying Lotus, Animal Collective, Battles, Swans, Deerhoof and more. Arone of the group has collaborated with Bon Iver and The National (backing vocals on Sleep Well Beast) and founded the all-female choral collective, #dronechoir, while Aron invented the “chordstick” for Bryce Dessner’s “Music for Wood & Strings” project. In January of 2021, Buke and Gase released a collaborative LP with percussion ensemble, So Percussion titled A Record Of.If one scours the chasms between the reverence for ‘90s revivalist hip-hop and the silvery futurists of the genre, there they may find a bridge: Rahrah Gabor. She has cherry-topped New York and New Jersey nightlife on the strength of her critical presence, pointed lyricism and unique sense of style and self-possession. Earning early support at the likes of AFROPUNK with slots at Slay TV’s inaugural SlayFest and the DICE Festival in Berlin, Rahrah Gabor, who is self-described as “hip hop’s Omar Little.

Only prettier,” will admit that she first dove into hip-hop to prove a point: that cisgender people do not have a monopoly on the genre. Rahrah Gabor would like to become the kind of challenge and increasingly challenged industry will not be able to ignore. Some will say it’s because she’s a Black trans woman. Others will say it’s because she’s better at this than you.You can pre-order the Buke and Gase + Rahrah Gabor EP via Bandcamp here