For the first time in years, it’s that time of year again…We are, of course, referring to the 2022 SxSW Music Festival in Austin, TX. And this year, Sub Pop artists Aeon Station, Naima Bock, Cartel Madras, CHAI, Hannah Jadagu, Kiwi Jr., Pissed Jeans, and Weyes Blood will all appear at the once-again-annual music festival and BBQ buffet. Please find a complete schedule for each artist below.
Aeon Station
THURSDAY, MARCH 17th
5:25 PM / Hipster Robot Showcase @ Side Bar
602 E 7th St., Austin, TX 78701
1:00 AM / SXSW Showcase @ Elysium
705 Red River St., Austin, TX 78701
FRIDAY, MARCH 18th
1:30 PM / Brooklyn Vegan Showcase @ TBD
6:15 PM / Midgetmen’s Jumpstart 14
602 E 7th St., Austin, TX 78701
10:00 PM / Pellicular Works @ Soundspace Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse
5326 Menchaca Rd., Austin, TX 78745
Naima Bock
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16th
1:00 PM / IFPA (Global Street Farm) @ Idle Hands
Address: 85 Rainey St
THURSDAY, MARCH 17th
8:00 PM / St. David’s Bethell Hall @ St. David’s Episcolpal Church
301 E 8th St., Austin, TX 78701
FRIDAY, MARCH 18th
11:00 PM / British Underground Happening @ Seller’s Underground
Panel Topic: Three LGBTQ+ acts with experience exploring their musicianship at a young age speak about the evolution of their craft and how that impacted the ways in which they came to celebrate their sexual identities.
Cartel Madras’s The Serpent & The Tiger, the group’s new, 10-track project, is out now worldwide on all DSPs from Sub Pop, and in Canada from Royal Mountain Records. Today, the duo is also sharing the official video for “LAVENDER NIGHTZ,” directed by Asim Overstands and Vince Raquel.
Cartel Madras says of the video, “In ‘LAVENDER NIGHTZ’ we take you to one night in Tokyo in a playful nod to the many iterations of a Neo Tokyo and the visual stylings of Wong Kar Wai. We have always been creatures of the night and this song takes you through a contemplative, moody freestyle from a moment in our lives.”
The Serpent & The Tiger is the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda) and features the highlights “WORKING,” “FEAR & LOATHING,” “DRIFT,” “Dream Girl Concept,” and the aforementioned “LAVENDER NIGHTZ.”
The project also includes guest appearances from Backxwash (on the track “DEEPINTHEJUNGLE”), Dom Dias, Airospace, Tyris White, Jide, and Shiro Jackson, with production by Dias (tracks 1-4), Naphi (track 5), White (tracks 6-8), and Jide (tracks 9-10).
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “Ultimately, Cartel Madras bring more than enough energy, character and attitude to make The Serpent & the Tiger a must-listen (8/10).” [The Serpent & The Tiger] -Exclaim
“Speedy dulcet pop-rap dominates…On “LAVENDER NIGHTZ “and “DRIFT,” the MCs speed it up, syllables popping like percussion. “DEEPINTHEJUNGLE” (featuring Backxwash) and “CONTRABAND” provide contrast, both anti-love songs, the first located where the wild things are, the second slick R&B.” The Serpent & The Tiger] - The Wire
“With 10 songs and a total time of 26 minutes, it’s a potent if brief example of their energetic hip hop, combining a variety of trap and house beats with their rapid-fire flow and lyrics revolving around self-expression and autonomy.” [The Serpent & The Tiger] -KEXP
“A mix of lush and glossy house beats, smooth and seductive like a snake, and take-no-prisoners rap bars that roar like a tiger.” [The Serpent & The Tiger] -NEXT Magazine
“The Serpent & The Tiger certainly hits hard, but it’s blows are delivered with purpose.” [The Serpent & The Tiger] - Northern Transmissions
“They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Comprising six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
Cartel Madras The Serpent & The Tiger
Tracklisting: 1. FEAR & LOATHING 2. The Green Scare (ft. Airospace) 3. EBOSHI’S NEVADA 4. DRIFT 5. DEEPINTHEJUNGLE (ft. Backxwash) 6. LAVENDER NIGHTZ 7. Dream Girl Concept 8. CONTRABAND 9 WORKING 10. MOON DRILLE (ft. Shiro Jackson)
Cartel Madras is sharing the official video for “FEAR & LOATHING,” from their forthcoming project TheSerpent & The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy, out August 19th, 2021 on Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop. The high concept visual is an entry point into TheSerpent & The Tiger multiverse and was co-directed by the duo and Jashan Makan.
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra share this about the video, “‘FEAR & LOATHING,’ is composed of several stories and represents the heart of our upcoming project, The Serpent & The Tiger. The song is an exploration in duality, a major plot point in our story, and our most ambitious filmmaking experiment yet. We teamed up with Toronto producer Dom Dias again to bring our audience a cinematic track, and dynamic music video that pushes us both as artists.
“We filmed ‘FEAR & LOATHING’’ over the course of one month and three cities: Calgary, Alberta, Toronto, Ontario, and London, UK. We were inspired by Season 1 of True Detective (2014), and the films Dark City (1998), Skyfall (2012), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Taking visual cues from Brian De Palma, and studying the pacing of works by Marisha Pessl, ‘FEAR & LOATHING,’ is a culmination of our influences and love of artful storytelling with striking cinematography.
“This music video stars UK-based, Tamil model, Sheerah Ravindren (Black Is King, Primark, Queer Possible) as ‘The Serpent.’ Sheerah is an incredible force, and a rising star; we’ve all wanted to work together since we found each other online a year ago. Sharanya M takes on the mysterious role of “The Tiger.” She is from our other home state, Kerala, and a collective member of Sansfucss, a collective of multidisciplinary BIPOC artists from Canada. Meanwhile, Eboshi and song Dom portray the two hostages, and Contra tackles the role of ‘The Defector,’ alongside Bear, her canine companion.”
“FEAR & LOATHING” is Cartel Madras’s third single of 2021, and follows the release of “Dream Girl Concept” in June, and “DRIFT” in January. The tracks are from their forthcoming project TheSerpent & The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda). The Serpent & The Tiger features guest appearances from Backxwash, Dom Dias, Airospace, Tyris White, Jide, and Shiro Jackson, with production by Dias (tracks 1-4), Naphi (track 5), White (tracks 6-8), and Jide (tracks 9-10), and will available on all DSPs August 19th, 2021 from Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
Cartel Madras The Serpent & The Tiger
Tracklisting: 1. FEAR & LOATHING 2. The Green Scare (ft. Airospvce) 3. EBOSHI’S NEVADA 4. DRIFT 5. DEEPINTHEJUNGLE (ft. Backxwash) 6. LAVENDER NIGHTZ 7. Dream Girl Concept 8. CONTRABAND 9 WORKING 10. MOON DRILLE (ft. Shiro Jackson)
Cartel Madras is sharing the official video for “Dream Girl Concept,” a new single produced by Jide (Toronto, ON) and Tyris White (Waco, TX), and is available now on DSPs in Canada from Royal Mountain Records and the rest of the world through Sub Pop.
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra, who directed the video, had this to say, ”In 2021, so much seems illusory or bound to sensations pursued through technology. ‘Dream Girl Concept’ is a moody, lush, cyber-funk letter to those feelings. Propelled by vaporwave, house, and hyper pop sensibilities, ‘Dream Girl Concept’ had us experimenting in a sonic and visual landscape that is purely indulgent.
“We have been writing to Tyris White beats for years, so it was amazing to get the chance to work with him for this project. We also teamed up again with Jide, producer of ‘WORKING,’ who has mastered the art of building atmosphere.
“The video has Eboshi and Contra grooving as AI androids with fluctuating battery life. An outro cameo from Calgary Queen Desmond ‘Dayna’ Douglas juxtaposes the futuristic sounds and takes us into a lingering, glamorously vintage moment.”
Cartel Madras partnered with Finesse, an AI-powered brand, for the video’s outfit selection.
“Dream Girl Concept” is Cartel Madras’s second single of 2021, and follows the release of “DRIFT” released in January 2021. The tracks are from their forthcoming project TheSerpent and The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda) due out later this year on Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
Cartel Madras both direct and star in the new video for “DRIFT,” their lifted, collaborative single with Toronto hip hop producer Dom Dias, available now on DSPs in Canada from Royal Mountain Records and the rest of the world through Sub Pop.
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra had this to say about “DRIFT,” “We teamed up with Toronto’s Dom Dias to make a sequel of sorts to ‘Goonda Gold’ - something that sounds hype, fun, and sets the tone for the new year and our upcoming new project. ‘DRIFT’ is about BIPOC women enjoying themselves and the fruits of their labor. In our music video, we wanted to show a beautiful group of creatives and artists from various backgrounds dabbling in marijuana. We also wanted to show a group of women owning the means of production. Lyrically, this song exists in the Cartel Madras Universe and follows us doing what we do best; self-referentially discussing high powered, risky, good times. ‘DRIFT’ opens 2021 for Cartel with new energy, big vibes, and ganja fuelled heat.”
“DRIFT” is Cartel Madras’s first new music of 2021, and is from their forthcoming project TheSerpent and The Tiger, the third installment of the Project Goonda trilogy (which includes 2018’s Trapistan and 2019’s Age of the Goonda) due out later this year on Royal Mountain Records/Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
“WORKING” is an empowering new hip house track and official video from Cartel Madras, which was directed by the group and Gabriela Osio Vanden. The visual, which stars the duo and fellow THOTNATION collective member Jide (who produced and mixed the song), saw it’s premiere earlier today at Berlin’s Pop Kultur Festival. “WORKING” marks Cartel Madras’s first new material since the release of their Age of the Goonda EP late last year, and is available now through all DSPs worldwide through Sub Pop (with the exception of Canada from Royal Mountain Records).
Single Art Photo Credit: Oliver Whitfield Smith
Cartel Madras’s Eboshi and Contra had this to say about the song, “Ever since ‘Housey’ off of our first mixtape, Trapistan, we’ve been really excited to make our next house track. In terms of hip house, we’ve been influenced by the likes of sharp lyricists with strong aesthetics such as Azealia Banks and Cakes Da Killa; they’ve been genre touchstones for us since before Cartel Madras. Much like ‘Housey,’ ‘WORKING’ is a queer, party track which pulls from our experiences as bad bitches in the music scene from the LGBTQ+ community. Once Jide, also a member of our collective, made us this beat we knew exactly what we wanted to do with it. This video is a love letter to the campy, color-coded Eurodance videos of the 90s.” And producer Jide offers this, “‘WORKING’ is heavily inspired by artists like Disclosure and Geotheory. I wanted to go for a vibey UK House track. I wanted some tension and didn’t want to give it to you all at once.”
“WORKING” was produced as a commissioned work of the Pop-Kultur Festival, funded by FACTOR Canada and the Government of Canada.
What people are saying about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow — think M.I.A. meets Cardi B. Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” [“Goonda Gold”] - Stereogum
“Cartel Madras are smashing barrier musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” [Age of the Goonda] - CLASH
“Full of raw, powerful, nonchalant energy” [“Goonda Gold”] - Gal-Dem
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast…More, please.” - The Wire
“Comprised of six tracks, the EP possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” [Age of the Goonda] - NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” - Loud & Quiet
“In pop analogy, this hip-hop duo comprising Calgary-bred, Chennai-born siblings Bhagya and Priya Ramesh is somewhat like a Tamil Pulp Fiction-meets-MIA. With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” [“12 New Musicians Set to Breakthrough in 2020”] - Vogue India
