Indie-psych outfit DRGN KING originated in the gritty urban sprawl that is MAGNET’s hometown of Philadelphia. Since debut full-length Paragraph Nights (Bar/None) came out earlier this year, the band’s prestige as an up-and-comer can’t go unnoticed. Founders Dominic Angelella and Ritz Reynolds recently shared some of their go-to tracks with us. Check out their mix tape below.
Aphrodite’s Child “The Four Horsemen”
Dom: This album was discovered in Ritz’s record collection at the shoot for our latest video. I had no idea it was so weird and amazing. The video is equally strange/awesome. It’s from 666, a concept album about the apocalypse, which is something I can totally get behind. Video
Ghostface Killah Featuring Method Man, Redman & Cappadonna “Nutmeg”
Dom: I accidentally bought the clean version of Supreme Clientele about a year ago, but this song doesn’t make a difference. The Baby Huey sample is amazing, and how else can you compete with these lyrics? “Supercalifragalisticexpialido
The Beatles “It’s All Too Much”
Dom: Those psyched-out Beatles songs were really important to me in my more formative years. This was the song that always stuck out to me when I was a six-year-old watching Yellow Submarine. Everything is so chaotic and strange in the right places. Video
Charm City Suicides “Heroin Sucks”
Dom: This seven-inch record was bequeathed to me by a cooler kid when I was 15 years old. I saw them play a few weeks after hearing the record and the singer had a crazy monster drawn on his chest with a sharpie marker. Video
Arthur Russell “I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face”
Dom: Ritz and I got really into Arthur Russell while recording Paragraph Nights. He was everything; a dance-music producer, a classical composer, an ambient musician. This is him in full-on singer/songwriter mode. Video
Miles Davis “Agitation”
Ritz: A drawn-out drum solo from Tony Williams leads this really amazing song from Miles. The patterns and sparse arrangement are really interesting and capture a really beautiful paranoia. It’s equally calming and uncomfortable. Video
Slum Village “Look Of Love” (Remix)
Ritz: I’m a student of Dilla for sure, and this is some great work he did with his group Slum Village in the mid-’90s. The plucky bass line is frenetic but cool and the Minnie Ripperton sample paired with another sample covering said Minnie Ripperton (“Inside My Love”) give it a really interesting vibe. Even the way the vocals sound are really unique. Very influential and rare. Video
The Beatles “I’m Only Sleeping”
Ritz: Since Dom included a Beatles song, I thought I’d do the same. The eerie chord progressions along with John’s vocal melodies and sedated lyrics resonate with my spirit (or something). And it has backward guitars in it, which is always a good thing in my book. Mono version to keep it G. Video
Nina Simone “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”
Ritz: Great cover by Nina that I’ve always loved. She did a lushly arranged recorded version, but this is a live version that she did that was quite different. It has a creeping pace, and her voice fills the piano chords and background chants in a way that only she could do. Video
Talking Heads “Born Under Punches”
Ritz: This blew my mind when I first heard it. Thirty years since its release and it still sounds fresh. It’s weird and dance-y and has wild textural loops going on. The weird guitar solo in the middle is crazy (Adrien Belew, I believe), and it’s definitely some of Eno and the Heads’ best. Video
