Hosey releases new album

If you listen, the story of the band Hosey is mixed and stretched and scratched right into their most recent album “Goodbye Bikini Island”. From the opening sample touting “From days of long ago…” these guys are not only indicating they’ve been creating music together for over 10 years, but that you’re going back to the beginning and onward with them, and you better be ready for the journey.

Hosey is Patrik Phalen behind the turntables, and Matt Hughes on Bass. The duo’s musical output traces the line from Beatles songs and their experiments in tape manipulations, to the whimsical sound collage cut-and-paste work of bands like Negativland, to old-school and current forms of hip-hop production and style, all with a nod to the 80's post-punk music they grew up on.

“Goodbye Bikini Island” is punctuated by elaborate rhythmic play between the bass and drums, beds of music that alternate between a gentle cushion and an underwater roller coaster, and gleeful scratching of everything from Looney Tunes to this week's episode of 30 Rock. Starting with the juicy beats of “Looking Thru a Candle” rolling right into the rock infused “It’ll Happen to You” you realize you’re somewhere new and exciting, where music lulls you into a peaceful melodic trance, then shakes you awake—and you’re loving it all.

Tracks like “I Just Wanna Go Home” and “So There’s A Girl…” open up the album wide, bearing grand emotional weight while still holding on to the beats and sounds that characterize “Goodbye Bikini Island”.

Since their days back in Mississippi, Hosey participated in a small but active music scene; putting on their own shows, inaugurating new music venues, playing in festivals, and contributing to albums by the Savalas Brothers and other releases by the then-local record label T-Bones Records. They relocated to Manhattan in 2004, working their foot in the door of the NYC music scene by DJing everywhere from small Brooklyn house parties to larger events like the NYC Fall For Dance Festival. Turning back to creating the music instead of just playing it, Hosey toured as the band behind Brooklyn rappers Domer, BrokeMC, and Bisc1, from New York to Florida, highlighted by a spot in Baltimore opening for rap legend KRS-1.

Hosey’s journey continues in 2010, as they play Lit Lounge in Manhattan on March 16th, as well as many venues in NYC promoting “Goodbye Bikini Island”. “Goodbye Bikini Island” can be streamed at www.hosey.bandcamp.com, and can be fully downloaded for any price.