Market

It happened in New York City--the only place where four such diverse artists could come together to create one unique sound. Their recording debut not only signals an important development in the realm of electronic dance music, but also represents a much-needed return to the original values of East Coast hip-hop. While British trip-hop bands like Massive Attack and Portishead repeatedly acknowledge their significant debt to the New York beat aesthetic, the collective members of Market have been seriously working in the midst of this particular scene for years. The collective of four have been improvising live and in the studio, fusing down-tempo rhythm tracks with obtuse ambient samples and jazz-infused percussion; layering evocative female vocals, structuring it with meticulous sonic architecture and adding the sensibilities of an old-school dj to create textured electronic music that evokes a definitively urban groove.