Nobody and Nocando become Bomb Zombies, go ‘Over the Edge’ in exclusive MP3

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Zombies are the new vampires. AMC has scored record ratings for ‘The Walking Dead’ and the ghost of Richard Nixon is being summoned to fight zombies. Zombies are on the march.

But Nocando and Nobody aren’t followers. The genesis of their Bomb Zombies collaboration stems from an auspiciously fated trip to Japan, where Nobody warded off insomnia by downloading hours and hours’ worth of rap radio hits. After presumably synthesizing everything from ‘You’re a Jerk’ to ‘Lollipop,’ he proposed that he and Nocando do an entire EP riffing on the sound of modern-day mainstream hip-hop.

The result is ‘Sincerely Yours,’ a funhouse with a stripper pole installed, pregnant with minimal Roland 808 handclaps, Auto-Tune and enough bass to melt ice. This is no big surprise -- the DJ born Elvin Estela spent much of the spring making beat kids touch their toes by playing Ludacris’ ‘How Low’ on the Low End Theory’s marrow-splintering sound system. But he’s best known for making glitchy psychedelic headnods for the likes of Busdriver, Freestyle Fellowship and Nocando -- the latest stand-out alumni of the Project Blowed club.

Spinning freaky tales of groupies and random debauchery, Bomb Zombies is the beat scene’s version of a 2 Live Crew record. Stripping the intelligent out of the so-called Intelligent Dance Music subgenre of the late ‘90s, the pair bridge the gap between the contemporary L.A. underground and classic Miami bass -- two scenes mutually bonded by their love of heavy low end.

One of the highlights is ‘Over the Edge,’ with its beat that sounds like ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ had it been constructed in the era of surplus swag, and with a hook pilfered from Grandmaster Flash’s ‘The Message.’ An unusually versatile MC, Nocando steers from the more heady abstractions offered on this year’s stellar ‘Jimmy the Lock’ mixtape to spin a tale of strippers and getting sauced. Thankfully, his intricate wordplay and charisma stays intact.

Released this week on Nocando’s own Hellyfyre Club Records -- an imprint of Alpha Pup -- Pop and Hiss is premiering the track in question.

Download: (Pop & Hiss Premiere)
MP3: Bomb Zombies (Nobody and Nocando) -- ‘Over the Edge’

-- Jeff Weiss