Two years after the release of her debut album, the bold, bouncy bassist Blu DeTiger is on the cusp of a recently-announced new era. Two months shy of the release of her sophomore album N.Y. Baby, she delves deep into the boogie and sleaze, the groove and ease, that comes from being born into a New York state of mind.
In New York, even contradictions sparkle. You don’t get that Broadway-lit glamour without a bit of grime; a perfect night can be punctuated by police car sirens, (supposedly) cat-sized rats, and someone screaming on the corner by your favourite bodega. Bada bing, bada bong – you can turn anything into a song. And for singer-songwriter and bassist Blu DeTiger, only New York could make that tension seductive. “Somehow it still feels sexy,” says the NoHo native. Out November 6th via 10K Projects, her sophomore album, N.Y. Baby, turns that frivolous energy into something with a sonic-driven vivacity. Forget chic (please), welcome to “Boogie Sleaze”.
This record becomes both a disco-ball-sparkled love letter to the city that raised her, and a nostalgia-tinged document of everything that came before she wrote it: DJ sets she spun in downtown Manhattan as a teenager, the pulsing and groovy funk-fused anthems, those never-ending late-night dancefloor marathons and more than two decades spent with her best, most-trusted companion: the bass. On N.Y. Baby, it offers both a grizzly growl and a buzzing undercurrent, decorating and dictating the melodic movement of the record. With Blu’s sonic prowess, the bass is as much the hook as it is the rhythm. “I stopped thinking of it as something that supports the song, and started letting it dictate where the song goes more,” she smiles.
If there’s one philosophy to hold onto while listening to N.Y. Baby, it’s simple: stop thinking and start moving. It’s not just the DeTiger way, but the New York way. Like the city that never sleeps, with good music and even greater nights, neither does the rhythm. It’s the ethos she channelled when she first took to TikTok, plucking to the catchiest pop songs. But even before she ascended on the platform, she’d been steadily working the New York music scene, soundtracking hers (and others’ nights) with her bassline-driven performances and mixes.
Flash forward almost half a decade, and the 28-year-old musician has created an album for the moments when dinner simmers into rounds of cocktails; tipsy gossip and splutters become tiptoeing and two-stepping; and dancing turns into a memory that tingles in your legs while you sit cross-legged writing your journal entry, clinging on.
From her new friend and collaborator, the legendary rapper Flavor Flav to Grammy Award-winning composer Jon Batiste and new-age, Brooklyn-hailing disco-funkers Say She She, they add their own colours, sounds and flavours to the mix. That, and it becomes a bit of a family affair; her brother Rex, who influenced much of her musical inclinations, sprinkles his drum flair across the record. And so, though these collaborators may have lit the avenue that makes this story, it’s the night that belongs to DeTiger.
As she prepares to blitz the road from Oklahoma City to Salt Lake City with legendary bassist Thundercat on his DISTRACTED AF tour, the young bassist is turning things up a notch. Though the theme is blue – you’ll feel anything but – and well, her name is Blu, with N.Y. Baby, freedom is the melody that she’s strumming her bass to – however gritty, grungy or messy that looks or feels.
Listen to…
Wonderland: What’s the sleaziest thing you’ve discovered about New York?
BDT: How normal it is for something to feel glamorous and grimy at the same time. You can be at the most beautiful party of your life and then walk outside into sirens, rats, someone arguing on the corner. New York has a little grime and dirt in everything, and I think that’s part of the appeal. Somehow it still feels sexy. I think that contrast is very New York.
What makes a N.Y. Baby? What are the key traits one has to have?
BDT: A N.Y. Baby is curious, independent, badass, sexy, a little restless, and always down for anything. You have to be able to move through different worlds and different kinds of people without losing yourself. There’s a confidence to it, but also an openness. You never know where the night is going to take you.
You’ve said this album is about surrendering to the night – was there a specific occasion or instance that sparked this intention for it?
BDT: I don’t think it was one specific night as much as realizing that all of my favourite experiences kept having that same feeling. I’d be out in New York, moving from place to place, DJing, seeing friends, dancing, working, flirting, hearing dope music, and suddenly I wasn’t thinking about anything else. Once I realised that, it became a philosophy for the album to stop thinking and start moving.
Having been born and raised in New York, what’s something about the city you’ll never stop being obsessed with?
BDT: The possibility. You can leave your apartment with absolutely no plan and come home eight hours later having had a completely different day/night than you expected. I love that there’s always another room, another person, another song, another thing happening around the corner. It keeps you restless in a way that I think has become part of my personality.
As a teenager, you were on the downtown circuit DJing. What was teenage Blu spinning that we hear influences of on this record?
BDT: When I was 17 and first started DJing, every set I would play “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen, “Love Come Down” by Evelyn Champagne King and “She Can’t Love You” by Chemise. I would often play “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer and “Finally” by CeCe Peniston too. Those were some of my go-tos, and ones that worked well for me to add my own basslines on top too. I was mainly playing disco, funk, French touch, house, and late 70s early 80s boogie. These genres have continued to be my sweet spot. I was also learning very early on how a room reacts to music. I loved being able to control the energy in the room – there’s something really empowering about that. I started understanding pretty quickly what makes someone start dancing, what makes someone want to go to the bar, and what kind of sonics paint the party or the space as “the cool place to be that night”. I think that instinct is all over this record. Even when I’m writing a song now, part of my brain is still imagining it coming through speakers in a club.
The bass is both your greatest companion and biggest asset. How did your musical relationship with the instrument evolve on N.Y. Baby?
BDT: I’ve always built songs around bass, but on this album, I wanted it to have even more personality: dirtier, groovier, flashier, aggressive. In most of the songs, the bass is basically the hook. I stopped thinking of it as something that supports the song and started letting it dictate where the song goes more. I also wanted to really showcase my skill and touch on the instrument. I’ve been playing over 20 years now and I feel like this record really showcases the time and passion I’ve put into learning the instrument. I wanted other musicians to listen and feel inspired.
What song on the record most accurately encapsulates your perfect New York night?
BDT: Probably “Whisper.” It has that feeling of seeing somebody across a room, wanting to give them your number, getting on the dance floor, and deciding you’d rather experience what’s happening than overthink it. It feels spontaneous and a little mischievous. And I love the second verse talking about going around with your girls and gossiping…That feels very real.
And can you tell us what that perfect New York night is?
BDT: It starts with dinner and drinks somewhere with a bunch of friends. Then we go to my party, Bounce, that I’m DJing at (that also has an underground table tennis tournament with real professional players…). Then somebody knows about a party after that, so we go there, then somehow you end up somewhere completely different. We’re dancing, running into old friends, meeting new people, maybe falling in love for 20 minutes, and then suddenly it’s 4AM and I’m in a taxi going over the Brooklyn Bridge staring out the window listening to “Manhattan” by Cat Power.
What’s the most New York lyric on the record?
BDT: “My heartbeat’s cinematic, I’m cruising for a habit, A reason to let go and reconvene.” It’s the second line in “Makeup.”
You’ve described this album as finally arriving at your truth – what is that truth? And can you describe the process of finally arriving there?
BDT: For a while I think I was trying to figure out what kind of artist I was supposed to be and listening to a lot of people around me instead of just listening to myself. And with this album I stopped doing that. I started pulling together all the parts of myself that have always been there: growing up in New York, DJing in downtown Manhattan as a teenager, being a bass player, loving dance music, loving jazz and respecting real musicianship. Once I stopped separating those things, the world of the album became really obvious. This album in a sense is me taking back control of my artistry and really making what I wanted to make. I think something I discovered too during this process is that I make music because I want people to move and feel good. I love emotional songs, but what’s always come most naturally to me is groove, bass, funk, disco — it’s music that hits your body before you have time to think about it.
Is there something on this album that you gave yourself permission to do that you hadn’t previously?
BDT: I let go of typical song structure and took more risks with the production. I made sure that every section of every song got the love and attention it deserved. Every sound, every part, every choice is precise and intentional. I really zoned in on the bass parts and bass fills. Love, sweat, tears, and calluses on my fingers went into every note. And at the same time, I also gave myself permission to have more fun with everything and truly trust my collaborators. Not every feeling needs to be intellectualized. Sometimes desire is just desire and dancing is just dancing.
There are some iconic collaborations on this record – Flavor Flav, Jon Batiste, Holly Walker, and Say She She all feature on the album. What’s a musical superpower from each of your collaborators that you most admire and would love to have?
BDT: Flav has this completely unmistakable personality and charisma. He can say one thing and it’s instantly iconic, Jon has this unbelievable musical freedom. He raises the vibration of the room, of the music, of the people around him. And he’s just truly an incredible musician. It was really special for him to be on this. Holly Walker has this amazing vocal tone and delivery. And Say She She has this incredible attitude and vocal chemistry/blend between the three of them.
You’re also about to hit the road with Thundercat. What excited you most about touring with him and this experience?
BDT: Getting to watch him play is going to be insane. He’s such a beast on the instrument and he has HITS. He’s also one to use the bass as a lead instrument and I really admire that. I’m excited for the bass nerds in the audience…
Two bass warriors, what would a Blu DeTiger x Thundercat song sound like?
BDT: It would probably have an irresponsible amount of bass. I imagine something really groovy and danceable but harmonically insane. A boogie track that suddenly takes a left turn into outer space. His bass is flying around and doing something very chordal while mine is holding it down in the lower register and adding some slaps and pops here and there.
What else is there to come that you’re looking forward to, and that fans and listeners can also?
BDT: I’m really excited for people to experience the full world of N.Y Baby. The songs are one part of it, but the visuals, the shows, the bass playing, the full band – it all connects. I want this era to feel like stepping into a New York night with me. I’m also excited for people to hear the mix of influences I drew from and how we were able to turn it into something fresh. I’m feeling really proud of the production and musicianship on this record!
Words – Aswan Magumbe
