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Song Premiere: TNGHT, 'Higher Ground'

TNGHT pairs up producers Lunice (left) and Hudson Mohawke.
Georgia Kuhn
TNGHT pairs up producers Lunice (left) and Hudson Mohawke.

High-profile producers Hudson Mohawke and Lunice recently teamed up to adopt the vowel-less moniker TNGHT and assemble a self-titled, five-track stampede of brazen electronic instrumentals. The two have been busy individually; Mohawke's touch is all over Kanye West's blockbuster banger, "Mercy," as well as on a new mixtape from sharp-tongued wunderkind Azealia Banks. Lunice has kept busy producing for Banks, too, and has been throwing shows for the Scottish label Lucky Me and releasing accompanying hip-hop mixes.

From the TNGHT EP, out July 24, "Higher Ground" proves that pairing two hip-hop chefs doesn't automatically render the kitchen overcrowded. The track opens with a running string of claps and a pitched-up sample, which bounce against each other as a stout drum kick teases its way into the mix. All falls by the wayside when the track's focal sample introduces itself: A brief brass riff hangs atop reverberated vocal leftovers. When the beat punches back in, a harmonizing brass line joins the riff, injecting the song with bombastic energy. These themes filter in and out through the three-and-a-half-minute jam, oscillating between moods of tense anticipation and unrestrained energy.

The result isn't really made for dancing — these beats may well have been cooked to serve a rapper's lyrics. But the power of "Higher Ground" on its own suggests that it's a dish best served raw.

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Sami Yenigun is the Executive Producer of NPR's All Things Considered and the Consider This podcast. Yenigun works with hosts, editors, and producers to plan and execute the editorial vision of NPR's flagship afternoon newsmagazine and evening podcast. He comes to this role after serving as a Supervising Editor on All Things Considered, where he helped launch Consider This and oversaw the growth of the newsmagazine on new platforms.