Premiere: Big Black Delta, ‘Huggin & A Kissin’

Kevin Bronson on
3

Jonathan Bates’ great leap into the future actually transported his music back in time – in a manner of speaking. Bates, former frontman of the late, lamented L.A. band Mellowdrone, started his bedroom project Big Black Delta after acquiring a laptop from his friend Alessandro Cortini, the Nine Inch Nails keyboardist, and learning how to program sounds. One thing his foray into electronica revealed: “Snare tones are more important than guitar tones,” he says. “It’s amazing how one simple sound can change everything, but using just that one tone can make a song sound like it comes from the ’80s.” Which explains why BBD’s banging track “Huggin & A Kissin” sounds like Every Eighties Band We Loved.

Bates, who also teamed up with M83 (he was their touring guitarist) to remix Daft Punk’s “Fall” off the “Tron Legacy Soundtrack,” recently released the free “BBDEP1.” He’s also putting the finishing touches on a full-length, working title: “BBDLP,” which is liable to appeal as much to fans of the Horrors as it will Depeche Mode. Live, Big Black Delta features Bates and his rig, along with dual drummers Mahsa Zargaran and Amy Wood.

||| Download: “Huggin & A Kissin”

||| Stream: Visit the “Tron Soundtrack” page and type “bbd” anywhere to hear the BBD/M83 remix of “Fall”

||| More: Check out the video for “IFUCKINGLOVEYOU”