Sango & GoldLink: In Conversation

Goldlink and Sango both make their debut Boiler Room appearances at the VW Dome at MoMA PS1 this Sunday. Tickets can be purchased here, head over to the session page to find out more information.
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Both GoldLink and Sango have taken similar, enigmatic passages to success.

GoldLink’s output is the perfect counterweight between hip-hop and sprightly, upbeat dance. It’s a sonically refreshing melange with one foot planted firmly in the past and the other full frontal. A beautiful collection of 90’s R&B buttery grooves and classic hip-hop breaks to give it an essence of nostalgia, turned on its head with bouncy, forward-thinking production style led by the likes of Ta-Ku and Kaytranada. Rick Rubin, no less, has singled him out as one of music’s brightest starlets, bringing the Virginia native and Def Jam Sensei into the same studio space just recently.

Sango shares GoldLink’s taste for anonymity by letting the music speak for itself. The Michigan-based producer is the architect of an unfaltering stream of stellar remixes with rejigs of en vogue vocalists like Tinashe, The Weeknd and Jessie Ware nudging him into the limelight. Its the Da Rochina instrumental series that really proved his worth, melding Brazilian afro-beat samples and the rattling hats and clapping snares of the most sinister trap.

The pair’s first joint effort came in the shape of “Wassup”, nabbing a snippet of Timbaland’s “Indian Flute” and jerking trap-tinged percussion into the equation. The simple, addictive production leaving plenty of room for GoldLink to flex his rap muscle.

Ahead of this week’s session, peep below as both characters answer some quickfire questions.

Goldlink

Credit: VSCO

At the very start of your career, you kept things anonymous – something that I’ve seen some artists ride with to keep the focus on the music rather than the person behind it. What guided your decision to start off in that way?
How bad music had become, and how concerned everyone was about how an artist appeared opposed to the actual musical ability of the artist. I wanted to focus on the actual artistry at hand, which is my music.

What were you like as a teenager?
As a teenager I was a wild card. I was crazy, never gave a fuck about anything, yet I was a smart ass kid! Like I could retain so much knowledge and I would stay in trouble, but at the same time I was very good at thinking my way out of so much shit. Musically, I listened to everything and anything that sounded good to me, and that’s what I think is happening now in my generation. People are more aware about how genres sound better together rather than by themselves.

The beats you go for have maintained that spacey, electronic element, but the videos have a very real street feel. Is that something you try to nail down very early on in the creative stage?
Yeah for sure. Just to show that as different and new this may sound may seem, it still has a lot of street elements and authenticity. It’s just an old sound being polished up into a new light.

It’s interesting that The God Complex was just around 25mins in length, what drove the decision to keep it brief?
Keeping it brief was purposely done. It can fit in perfectly with the quickness of the society that we live in today. We gain and regurgitate so much information on a daily basis that I just had to keep it short.

I guess the freshest news is that you’re working alongside Rick Rubin, massive congratulations – most definitely well earned. I’m intrigued, what was your first conversation about?
Thank you. It was just about us getting to know each other and we vibed very well. He’s a very easy spirit, so it was fun.

You described the occasion as surreal, but what are you most looking forward to?
I’m only looking forward to really showing the world what I have, and to blowing people’s minds completely off their heads. I honestly haven’t even tried yet. I want to only do dope ass shit from this day forward.

Finally, what’s been your favourite Boiler Room to date and why?
I want to say Sophie’s Boiler Room because… I love you.

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Sango

The majority of your fanbase has stemmed from Soundcloud, arguably the most imprtant music tool of the last five years. How do you consider its impact on wider culture?

Souldcloud is making careers. Today, we can find the next influential musician just by taking a look at a soundcloud feed. It works and it’s so easy to use. It’s also catered to your taste in music so you can continue to dig for more artists similar to the ones you like. Its impact is decent. I still think a lot of people don’t know what soundcloud is, but it’s really getting popular and that’s because bigger artists are using it, which attracts new users.

Sunday Sessions and the VW Dome at MoMA PS1 are made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America. Major support is provided by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation. Purchase tickets here