Review: Shygirl — ALIAS is ME

A fierce, club-centric remix of the EP that put her on the map.

It is safe to say that Shygirl is a master of the remix project. Her eclectic debut LP, ‘Nymph’ was soon followed by ‘Nymph_o’, featuring an impressive roster of her contemporaries in the electronic art pop scene (Eartheater, Sevdaliza, Arca) but also the pioneer of the avant-garde herself, Björk – a sign, if any, that Shygirl has something remarkable. A prolific releaser, she soon followed ‘Nymph_o’ up with two EPs designed for the club – a space that is evidently a natural environment for her – both accompanied with remix projects that amplified the euphoria already present in the original hedonistic and undeniably sensual projects. Now, in virtue of the five-year anniversary to her seminal project ‘ALIAS’, we have been graced with another reimagining, and she has never done it so well.

‘ALIAS is ME’ is explosive. While ‘ALIAS’ lured us into her lyrical world of commanding bravado and sexuality with the slower tempo of ‘TWELVE’, it is as if now, Shygirl knows that we know who she is and there is no need for time-wasting. ‘TWELVE is BOLD’ certainly lives up to its name – we are immediately thrown into the intensity of a rave with a notably speedier tempo and pulsating beat. The production is satisfyingly textural and cinematic, layered with siren-like effects that reflect the disorientation of a rave. Meanwhile, EQ do not disappoint in their guest verse – a duo who undeniably embody the ALIAS spirit. ‘SLIME is BESTIE’ respects best the hip-hop core of the original project. Sega Bodega reworks the beat to something almost anxiety-inducing and evermore nocturnal with what resembles sampled breaths, while JT, a collab that was bound to happen sooner than later, delivers a verse that feels entirely comfortable in this atmosphere. Certainly a highlight of the project, ‘FREAK is WILD’ is a real feat. Superbly danceable from the instance, and with a Rico Nasty-esque brash delivery from the duo skuzland, it demands your attention and your moves, rewarding the listener with a perfect beat switch into a blissful baile funk that briefly takes you out of the grime of the rave before descending right back into the dirt and chaos. This is real mastery in scene-setting, more evident with the reverb-heavy ambience of ‘TASTY is A FANTASY’. Haze and buried vocals serve as a momentary recharge break, reminiscent of a downtempo chillout room at a rave, yet again making it clear that Shygirl lives this life. This purposefully comes before another stretch of intensity with ‘LENG is SEXY’, a track that deserves repeated plays at raves to come. The almost comical bouncy sound effect of the original is reinterpreted by Alex Chapman into a pounding techno/donk beat that is just the perfect decision; Shygirl’s monotonous delivery is an obvious compliment to a mechanical techno beat. George Riley, an up-and-coming British artist making music situated in a similar world of electronic R&B, offers a satisfying contrast in her soft vocals over the relentless beat without feeling out of place. This is a track not to be missed, nor is ‘BAWDY is A LOT’, the only track that precluded the EP’s release, and another that follows suit in the EPs ferocity and intensity. With production from rising Miami-based producer Nick León, and an irresistible hook from Argentina’s Six Sex, this track will indeed leave you ‘moving your bawdy’ with another rapid, thumping beat that offers an intoxicating taste of techno-fuelled neoperreo. While Shygirl refuses to end on an entirely tame note, SIREN is OUT OF REACH, like the earlier ‘TASTY …’ ups the haze via a trancey remix by TDJ without redacting the danceability, where her repeated vocal lines amidst the ambience are indeed reminiscent of an alluring siren call at sea, showcasing how Shygirl does not only dominate in her directness but enchants in her allure.

Often, remix projects struggle to reinvent original projects in a truly captivating way; either the original is simply too good for one to go back to the remix, or the project can feel less intentional or consistent – a collation of tracks sent to different producers with no unifying thread. These are not problems Shygirl encounters here. While eclectic in the styles she and her guests explore, the decisions made exude a meticulousness and over-arching connection that only comes from someone who exists in the world they are representing. The listening experience flows like the club experience itself, with appropriate moments of rest before re-entering the pulsating darkroom. Whilst the original hip-hop rooted ‘ALIAS’ manifested boldness and command through Shygirl’s blunt rapping, ‘ALIAS is ME’ honours the attitude in an entirely club-tuned format, where techno beats and chilling samples lead the way. One could say it is a ‘Club Shy’ interpretation of the original EP. In a trend-following musical landscape becoming ever more saturated with club tracks and ‘recession pop’, which Shygirl is evidently paying attention to in her tasteful spotlighting of rising electronic stars, ‘ALIAS is ME’ demonstrates that this is her scene, and it always has been. Where once the title ‘ALIAS’ indicated the machismo was an alter ego for the artist, here she owns it.