A pioneering voice in British jazz, Melt Yourself Down is an attempt to re-unite live, left field music and the dancefloor.
Sure, their's is an abstraction dominated by noise, by feral, unhinged sounds – yet there's also a groove, a palpable percussive sense which bypasses the cerebral cortex and aims straight for the hips.
The group have agreed to take part in a special performance for this year's Illuminations event, returning to their East London base.
In anticipation of this, Clash asked Melt Yourself Down to provide a quick indication of their dancefloor interests.
Rifling through the racks, the band posted back a quickfire introduction into some of the bravest, most distinctive dance producers working in Africa today – or, indeed, tomorrow…
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1. Brâulio ZP – 'Xtraga'
Always great fun in a club, I found this on an amazing compilation called 'Bazzerk – African Digital Dance'. Which is exactly what it is. I defy you not to have 'Xtraga!' bouncing round in your head for weeks.
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2. Clap! Clap! (feat. DJ Khalab) – 'Elon Mantana'
The tempo drop gets me every time. I love the electro-acoustic blend of this music and the way it sits in between so many genres.
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3. Luky Gomes – 'Zeze E Toto' (Remix)
I love the fairly traditional guitar pattern mixed with the excellent drum programming. This track has an amazing energy and is so joyfully fresh. It never gets old!
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4. DJ Nigga Fox – 'Powerr'
This is squelchy and murky and propulsive. We played before him with Melt Yourself Down at a festival in Portugal – Milhoes De Festa – this year, where he delivered an unbelievable DJ set. He's part of a collective where they're all called Something Fox.
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5. Ibibio Sound Machine – 'Let's Dance'
Our friend Leon plays in this band and he plays bass with MYD occasionally. This track is a legendary banger, guaranteed to get everyone moving! It's saved my DJing bacon many times!
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6. Matias Aguayo – 'El Sucu Tucu'
This is the coolest track in the world, I love it ! Laid-back but danceable, acoustic but programmed, with some really interesting drum sounds. No idea what genre this is, but who cares?
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7. Misty Conditions – 'Dusco'
The first thing I noticed was the awesome band name. Then the music – kind of trappy, atmospheric, percussive, industrial, semi-electronic dance music. Love it.
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Melt Yourself Down x James Chance play London's Village Underground on November 5th as part of Illuminations.
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