Even though I spent 3 beautiful years in the Netherlands, back in the early 2010s, I never had the chance to attend and experience Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). The 5-days-long conference, a true epicenter of parties and live performances, is hard to put in words, so naturally I had to go and finally see for myself. One of the first acts I discovered was Dutch experimental duo La Rat, thanks to my friend Ivan who was browsing some potential shows. As soon as I heard the psychedelic loop weaving in the background during breakfast, I asked him the most important question ever, “what’s that?“.
We bonded over our fascination of the mind-altering combination of 70s psychedelia, alt r&b, jazz, blues and hip hop, that feels both simplistic and complex at the same time. A sound that feels retrofuturistic, La Rat’s self-titled album and today’s spotlight in particular, ended up being a soundtrack to many late night walks in the rain. I felt like taking a trip down memoryline and every time I listen to the song, it reminds me of something different.
Inspired by worlds as distant as Georgia O’Keeffe’s color fields and Rammellzee’s sonic rebellion, the duo weave threads of chaos and contemplation into something wholly their own – a reclaimed fragment of hip-hop’s charged cosmos. I highly recommending the record, distributed by Rush House. Unfortunately, the vinyl is sold out, but you never know when a re-stock could happen.
La Rat by La Rat
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