Toro Y Moi premieres “All Alone” at SPIN.com

For Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bundick, 2011 has seen the release of his acclaimed sophomore album, Underneath the Pine, remix work for Tyler, the Creator, and Cut Copy, a split 7″ with Cloud Nothings, and a steady stream of international tour dates which continues this Fall with another full run of North American tour dates, most of which will feature the excellent Unknown Mortal Orchestra as openers.

Just over halfway through what’s already been a busy year, the prolific producer has a brand new batch of lavishly funky material to offer. Bundick’s forthcoming EP, is no sloppily assembled bunch of Pine session throwaways. The Freaking Out EP was put to tape in June during a period of touring quiescence. The release finds Bundick reveling in twenty minutes of boogie, roping in the heavy sounds of groups like the Gap Band and Mtume. While the first two tracks are modern takes on the 80s post-disco vibe, “Sweet” sounds like the product of a Todd Edwards and Teddy Riley collaboration, with smooth synths weaving in and out of meticulously chopped and arranged vocal samples. The New Jack influence spills over into the cover of Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neill’s “Saturday Love,” in which a swing beat carries along fluttering piano lines steeped in delay. The EP’s crown jewel, “I Can Get Love,” sees Bundick assimilating styles of each of his to-date releases, with the synthesized funk of Causers of This, the irresistible hooks of Pine, and dance alias Les Sins’ penchant for filter effects and house beats. Full of energy and crafted with a conciseness that begs repeated listens, Freaking Out is Toro Y Moi’s most concentrated venture into pure dance floor hedonism.

Tour Dates

09/04 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot
09/09 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club *#
09/10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Fest / Lincoln Theatre
09/11 Washington, DC Black Cat *#
09/12 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church *#
09/14 New York, NY Webster Hall *%
09/16 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club *%
09/17 Montreal, PQ Le National *%
09/18 Toronto, ONT Opera House *%
09/19 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre *%
09/20 Bloomington, IN The Bishop *%
09/22 Champaign, IL Pygmalion Music Festival *%
09/23 Cincinnati, OH Midpoint Music Festival *%
09/24 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall *%
09/25 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock *%
09/29 Vancouver, BC Venue *$
09/30 Portland, OR Branx *$
10/01 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall *$
10/02 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall *$
10/03 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theater *$
10/06 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace *$
10/07 Dallas, TX Club Dada *$
10/08 Austin, TX Mohawk *$
10/09 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s *$
10/10 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks *$
10/11 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder *$
10/13 Birmingham, AL Bottletree *$
10/14 Atlanta GA, Masquerade *$
10/15 West Columbia SC New Brookland Tavern *$
10/28 Asheville NC Moog Fest