Gold Coast-based outfit Tijuana Cartel have made a name for themselves for the sensory overload, euphoria, fat beats and heavy, bass-fuelled electronica they’ve been delivering for the past few years, and now they’re back with their latest single ‘Minimal Stuffing’ – the first offering from their forthcoming new album ‘Acid Pony’ due in November.
Taking cues from luminaries Bonobo and Caribou, the band mesh lush instrumentation and World music, with heavy electronic beats. The track creates a dense hypnotic feel, through brooding synth bass intertwining with lighter percussive samples, all complimented by reverberating acoustic guitar riffs. Halfway through the song transitions, expressing stark dynamic range, building a kaleidoscope of colour that builds momentum leading to its rewarding conclusion.
“We wanted to create something you could lose yourself in headphones to or dance around your living room to. The band now have two studio set ups; one on the Sunshine Coast hinterland and one on the Gold Coast. Carey and Paul work on songs separately and email the tracks back and forth. This was another way the band dealt with making music during social distancing laws. Much of the animated stuff comes out of Carey’s back yard garden. The flora was scanned in using a 3D scanner made out of a hacked record player.”
To celebrate ‘Minimal Stuffing’, Sheila from Tijuana Cartel has put together a piece pairing her five favourite artists right now with corresponding vegan recipes.
1. Vegan Creamy Chipotle Aioli
So simple and so tasty.
200g cashews soaked in cold water for at least 2hours. If you don’t have that time don’t stress it will still work.
40 ml of yummy fresh olive oil
¼ cup of lime juice
3 x garlic cloves
2 chipotles in adobo
30 g of coconut sugar
tablespoon of salt
1-2 I like to use two teaspoons of smoked paprika
Throw them all into a blender and add around 200ml of water to get that smooth creamy thick desired feel.
Place in a bowl and serve with some home-made sweet potato chips. Yum.
When I make this one at the moment, I’m totally trancing out to Sunday Trap by Sheli and Her Ghost. Fresh electronic downbeat project by vocalist Kristina Sheli from Berlin and producer Schlepp Geist from Leipzig. Future beats, synthesizers and an exciting voice flow together like you haven’t heard before.
2. Slaw Time accompanied with the new EP from Kalupke – Magnetic Levitation on Tropical Twista Records.
Ok go to the garden now that we’ve all had that awesome time to grow one. Grab yourself this shopping list.
1x Red cabbage (those bloody gorgeous wallabies nearly got all of mine)
3x carrots (that one is hard to grow)
1x fennel if you dig but all good if not.
A bunch of kale for colour
A bunch of coriander
For the vinaigrette:
1/3 cup of oive oil
¼ cup of raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of Djion mustard
the money shot – 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup and of course to taste salt and peper to your liking
Cut, shred or mandolin, whatever you like with the garden produce then combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake shake shake. Toss all together in a bowl and you’re a happy camper.
(From Cologne with love, comes Kalupke with their roots in Hip Hop and heart at house, Kalupke is living synergy. Dry but driving, light and emphasized with hazy moments and sudden bursts.)
3. Vegan Cheesy Sauce
¼ cup of Nutelex
2 cups of water
Half to one cup plain flour
2-4 cups of nutritional yeast depending on how thick you want it
Salt and pepper to taste
Tablespoon of tamari
Oh, and if you’re feeling it a pinch of smoked paprika.
Melt the fake butter slowly add in the flour whisking it all about. Slowly add and whisk in water to create a creamy white sauce consistency. Continue stirring and stirring as you add another thing in the star of the show nutritional yeast. Add your other bits and bobs left over to add to taste. This is a stable in our home to add to what ever you like. Lasagne, spag bowl or poke bowl.
The latest release on the Serafin audio imprint label goes so well with this sauce. Do for the love – by memory lake. Bringing you slow and futuristic nostalgia all the way from the depth of Scandinavian lakes.
4. Vegan Quesadilla
Well I have given you the not so secret cheesy sauce but really, we make it different every time the quesadilla. Go with the flow but add sauce.
Ole Smoky re editing ‘Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town’. Kenny Rogers the first edition. Haha Kez will love that. No no who I really meant was Foulteer – ‘Wahwah’ EP on the Copycow label. Timboletti remix is dope. Almost palomino acid like crossed with Balearic bass.
5. She J’s Wakie Wakie Smoothie
Banana
Blueberries
Kale
Broccoli sprouts bout 100grms
1x tablespoon Macca powder
1x tablespoon alkalised coco
1x tablespoon hemp seeds
1x tablespoon of peanut butter
One heap of vegan protein powder of your choice. Avoid rice ones if you can.
1-2 tenths of a micro dose
Fill with water and blend that sucker up.
‘Waiting For A Surprise’ – by Red Axes on the infamous multi culti label. Tel Avis’s Red Axes are one of the most exciting new acts in dance music. With rich sound that is musical, deep, trippy and organic. This smoothie and this track will give you the giddy up you need for the day.
Minimal Stuffing is out now.
