Black Tiger Sex Machine
Karel Chladek
Electro will never die. It will rage on like a three-headed serpent, each of those heads wearing a cutting-edge, geometric tiger mask that has been programed to blink and brighten in sync with teeth-rattling bass and hair-splitting synth melodies. That is to say, electro is stronger than ever on Black Tiger Sex Machine’s ferocious single “Zombie,” even if it’s sort of, in a way, undead.
“Zombie” is a monster stomper featuring Panther Matumona, aka Panther, a Zambian-born and Vancouver-raised artist and producer who takes this time to prove his skills on the mic. He adds another layer of bossiness with his booming rhymes, not that the song was suffering from any malnourishment. It explodes into your ears with a lightning bolt of energy that could bring any dead night to life. It’s the first taste of what’s to come from the trio’s sophomore album, scheduled for release on March 2.
It’s a tune that begs to be played in a large, dark room, and BTSM will give you that opportunity when they hit the road on a North American tour in support of the new album. The trio proudly present the next stage of its evolution with a massive undertaking of light and sound. BTSM and their team cooked up a sweet setup that gives the musicians complete control of the lights on the stage, around the stage, even the masks on their faces.
It’s not time-coded, like most dance shows, which basically means the trio has the ability to play mixes on the fly while controlling the lights to match the sound as it drops. They aren’t just hitting play and letting a pre-programmed light show wow your senses. They’re crafting a unique audio-visual experience each time they take the stage.
For tickets and more information about the tour and the new album, visit BTSM online. “Zombie” is out everywhere Wednesday, but you can listen to it in full below, exclusively on Billboard Dance.