Many of our favorite bands here at MAGNET are imports from Canada: Stars, the New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, et al. This time, however, our northern neighbors have sent us something completely different. Bonjay is a Toronto-based duo consisting of singer Alanna Stuart and producer Ian “Pho” Swain, and its style is an eclectic mix of dancehall, R&B and reggae characterized by hypnotic synth beats and seductive vocals. Bonjay’s new mini-album, Broughtupsy, was just issued and is currently being supported by a North American tour. We’re celebrating the release with this mix tape Stuart and Swain made for MAGNET.
“Stumble” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/Stumble.mp3
Local Rabbits “The Lights Turn On”
Alanna: This was the second concert I ever went to. (The first was Method Man and Redman.) Local Rabbits was the first “indie” anything I ever encountered, and they went on to mentor me during the earliest stages of my post-teenybopper R&B career.
Massive Attack “Karmacoma (Portishead Remix)”
Pho: From the first era of Portishead. They give you so little in the beginning, just a few dubby fragments. Then the Serge Gainsbourg sample comes in and opens the whole thing up. Video
Tanya Stephens “Goggle”
Alanna: Amaaaazing. This and Lady Saw’s “No Long Talking” are two of my favourite dancehall tunes. Delivery so tough and sexy at the same time. Video
Paula Perry “Extra, Extra”
Pho: DJ Premier was a big influence on my early years, and here he once again mixes the tuff and the beautiful to great effect. We re-worked this for the end of one of our first bootlegs, “Faat Gyal.” Video
Feist “Honey, Honey”
Alanna: I’d say that Local Rabbits, dancehall and Feist are my top influences. Rabbits for songwriting, dancehall for badness and Feist for vox. You can here them all come together on our song “Creepin.” Video
Aaliyah “Are You Feeling Me?”
Pho: Without a doubt one of the greatest songs of all time. Every detail of the first two verses of this song is perfect, from the weirdo strings to Timbaland’s “hey what” adlibs to the hidden MJ sample. People will still be listening to Aaliyah and falling in love with her 100 years from now. Video
Björk “Possibly Maybe”
Alanna: This is the first version I heard: live on Jools Holland. I just love how she sings the words as though each one chokes her up: “the un…cer…tain…ty excites me.” Video
New Look “Numbers”
Pho: Our friends from Hamilton who make lush techno/soul. Whenever I listen to them I always think, “We need to step our game up”. Video
Johnny Mathis “Warm And Tender”
Alanna: When I was a kid, I’d shut out the lights and sit in the pitch dark after watching a horror movie, just sitting there feeling scared. This song makes me feel that way. Video
Katy B “Louder”
Pho: Zinc takes bass music to new places here, and Katy B is such a delicate and nuanced vocalist. We also love that they didn’t try to make her look more “street” for the vid. It’s a new era! Video
