Sound the alarm…PLANET B is here! If you were wondering why no one had married hip-hop to punk to turntablism to sci-fi to horror, fear not, because it’s happening now with PLANET B. Today we’re stoked to be sharing their new single “The Bouquet” featuring the mad turntable skills of D-Styles. This track makes me want to dance and scream into the capitalist void at the same time. It’s rhythmic and dissonant, confrontational and smooth at the same time. PLANET B would definitely take me into outer space in a live venue. Their new Fiction Prediction LP is out via Three One G on February 9th — pre-order it here — and you can watch their new video for the single “The Bouquet” (Feat. D-Styles) here:
I suppose this is where the theme(s) of this album start to set in and make themselves apparent. One thing to note, a lot of this album was written and recorded during the pandemic’s full lockdown. So the state of human nature and the lack of humanity really were apparent to a lot of us.
The basic gist is the system in place, specifically here in Amerika, and the massively complicated topic of how there is a lack of humanity caused by dividing people and breaking down the ability for actual change. We are generally taught to hate downwards. Seeing people with very little or nothing hate others who also have very little or nothing is mind blowing, when there is rampant support of those who are oppressing everyone.
It ultimately all leads to capitalism, and the destruction of the planet, ecosystems, and making the future more and more grim for those who are here, and certainly for following generations. Then adding D-Styles to the track, changed the game in a big way. Not only is he one of the best turntablists, but his contribution to the song, by adding a sample mentioning voodoo, really brought things full circle for me. I grew up obsessed with scratching in hip hop and to have someone from the iconic Invisibl Skratch Pickle on our track is such an honor. I’m not sure if he got the depth of what the vocals were about, but the sample and cuts he chose were shocking, in a cool way.
I had been really getting into the ideas and roots of voodoo, and mostly the sounds and music associated with it. Some of those elements even. Showed up on other stuff I have been part of, such as “Satanic Planet” by Satanic Planet and “New Voodoo” by Deaf Club. Without an oppressive police force, or ass-backwards laws, we have to use other tools to change the world and make things just. Is voodoo an option, or even an actual tool? I honestly don’t think it is, but the idea and culture surrounding it is interesting nonetheless.
