Album Reviews Music

Emil & Friends – Downed Economy EP Album Review

Vee Hua 華婷婷1 min readOctober 1, 2010Add comment

Emil & Friends’ new EP, Downed Economy, is perhaps best exemplified by its opening track and title track. Although the most upbeat track on the EP, “Downed Economy” shares similarities with the other songs by featuring an abundance of electronic sound clips, trickling into the ear like watery drips. This is modern electronic funk, rolling deep into the soul with smooth grooves and falsettos, bolstered by 8-bit noises. Throughout the EP, soft, sexy textures are mashed up with hard, obviously non-organic ones, but somehow it’s enjoyable; the ridiculous amount of work that must have gone into arranging these songs makes for a remarkably distinct listen.

Tagged ascantora records electronic emil & friends experimental funk indie pop soul

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Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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