Normaling

.Rar Kelly and DJ Lemz, who come together as Normaling, are fast becoming serious players, not just in their home town of Baltimore but also in the wider East Coast club scene. Their truly unique take on the various club sounds of Baltimore, Jersey and Philadelphia, as well as the low-end funk of Miami bass and booty music, has attracted the attention of pretty much every website, magazine and blog going—and with good reason. As demonstrated by Astrolith's serrated bass remix of their signature banger "Low Drop", Normaling's music is fun, inclusive, exciting, progressive and utterly banging. Personally, we go a bit nuts over any track that features either Rye Rye or TT The Artist, so to include them both is surely a recipe for success. - Complex UK

Welcome to Sound Atlas, a weekly series showcasing LessThan3’s desire to scan the world for the most exciting sounds in global electronic music. This week’s edition realizes that fall has finally reared its ugly head, and when it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better to warm you up than underground house and club jams. Debuting here to help you in that cause is an amazing remix of an amazing track via Space Is The Place Records featuring a Baltimore Club vocal underground legend.

Normaling (feat. Rye Rye & TT The Artist) – Low Drop (Tony Quattro’s Bailemore Remix) [Space Is The Place]
The latest from Baltimore’s Space Is The Place Records comes from club duo Normaling, whose epic tune Low Drop features two generations of Bmore vocal talent in one track. New York-based rising and versatile house producer Tony Quattro blends the smooth feel of soulful club with the Miami bass-feeling ratchetmania of baile funk in his remix, and the final product is a mind-blower. When this one breaks and drops? Prepare for your jaw to scrub the floor. Stream it above and purchase it here. - Less Than 3

Last year, the Baltimore duo Normaling (.rar Kelly and DJ Lemz) released the booming and dancefloor destroying track “Low Drop” last year via Space Is The Place Records and it immediately picked up plays from the likes of Teki Latex, Spank Rock, Branko, Lewis Cancut etc. Now, about a year later we get the remix EP for the single and we here at Discobelle can premiere a remix from two of NYC’s tropical bass heavyweights – namely Banginclude & Comrade who drops a Caribbean kind of feel with fancy flutework and a bootyshaking beat. - Discobelle

This week we got something special for all of you Champs that loves a good song with a sick beat! We have just received the green light to premiere the exclusive remix of one of Bay area’s hottest duos. All Eyes On Me featuringTT The Artist (Normaling Remix) by Double Duchess is easily fitting for the fall and definitely one of the most fun and atmospheric tracks you can press play on this week!

What I enjoy most about this track is how they incorporated the original lyrics from the song but made sure to hi-jack the beat and make it their own completely. You can expect to hear sounds that’ll take you into a matrix featuring hard hitting drums, quirky sounds, and echoes that’ll fill the spirit of a soulless man. It’s almost cinematic in a way and it’s amazingly refreshing.

With Normaling playing their fourth stop on their tour with Double Duchess they’ve waste no time in remixing one of Double Duchess hottest songs. I’m sure they are definitely making crowds go crazy as they tour around the nation and make moves. When you manage to have DJ Lemz and .Rar Kelly on the same team only magic can happen especially when you bring Double Duchess into the fold. S/O to Normaling for keeping TT The Artist verse in the remix as well.

After Complex premiered our remix of Double Duchess’ “Good Girl Freak Out” earlier last week in anticipation of their All Eyes On Me /Remix EP that drops on October 23rd you can only continue to expect greatness from Normaling and Double Duchess. There are also several other remixes you can expect out of the camp that takes a stab at reworking this track including remixes produced by Mighty Mark, MikeQ, Ellie Herring, Javascript, and The Carry Nation.

Keep up with both Normaling and Double Duchess Courts below.

Double Duchess Court | Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Normaling Court | Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

double-duchess-all-eyes-on-me-remixes-ep-tracklist-cover-san-francisco-sf-california-cali

Double Duchess’ All Eyes On Me/Remixes EP Tracklist

1. All Eyes On Me feat TT the Artist – (Normaling remix)
2. All Eyes On Me feat TT the Artist (Mighty Mark remix)
3. Bullshit – (MikeQ x Divoli S’vere Remix)
4. Bullshit – (The Carry Nation Edit)
5. Bullshit – (Javascript remix)
6. Gifted – (Ellie Herring remix)
7. Good Girl Freak Out – (Normaling Remix) - Stereo Champions

Normaling, the Baltimore duo who take their name from one of 30 Rock's weirdest running gags, are .rarKelly and DJ Lemz and they've made quite a name for themselves at the cutting edge of club culture. Right at the beginning of the year we told you about Thunderbird Juicebox's pounding remix of Normaling's ""Lowdrop" with Rye Rye and TT The Artist, and now we've got their remix of "Good Girl Freak Out" by Double Duchess and Future People to share with you. The remix, which will be released at the end of Double Duchess and Normaling's West Coast U.S. tour, is just as powerful as the "Lowdrop" remix but there's a sultry robotic quality to this one.

It's sleazy, sexy, dark and has already won the respect of B'more legend Scottie B who's taken more than a few opportunities to drop it in his sets. The remix comes as part of a massive remix collection of Double Duchess tracks "All Eyes On Me", "Good Girl Freak Out", "Bullshit" and "Gifted" that have been reworked by Mighty Mark (another bastion of Baltimore club music), MikeQ & Divoli S'vere, The Carry Nation, Javascript and Ellie Herring. Take a listen below and check the tour dates on the flip. - Complex UK

Until recently, Baltimore club was thought dead and buried, one of the first casualties of the blog-buzz cycle. But with Jersey club lighting up festivals and clubs in the US and abroad, its Baltimore antecedent quietly had its best year in ages. Meanwhile, representatives from the UK crews that helped define 2014 all turned to the sound for inspiration. FACT’s Chris Kelly charts where Baltimore club has been, how it got here and where it’s going in 2015.

With a steady stream of proper releases, iconoclastic EPs and anthems-in-the-making, Baltimore club’s new wave shined in 2014. While the first wave of Baltimore club did all it could with a couple of breakbeats, a few kick patterns and a handful of familiar samples, this generation is adapting the sound for Internet age palettes. Even while carrying the torch for old-school, “410 Formula” Baltimore club, James Nasty isn’t afraid to mix in dancehall among his rap and meme samples; similarly, Mighty Mark incorporates everything from juke to bounce in his tracks.

On the outer edges of the sound, Normaling brings Baltimore’s intensity no matter the genre, while Schwarz has fashioned himself into the “Deepak Chopra of Baltimore club” with his PLUR-originals, and a club anarchist with his tongue-in-cheek bootlegs. Then there are the vocalists: DDm lands somewhere between ballroom commentating and the battle rap with which he made his bones; Abdu Ali brings gravity to Blaqstarr’s out-there experimentalism; and TT the Artist turns every track into a party. “We all take the core architecture of Baltimore club music but flip it with our own influences,” explains Normaling’s .rar Kelly.

Baltimore club may have fallen out of favor on the ever-changing dance music landscape, but it remains the city and county’s defining musical product. Like their parents, the current generation grew up hearing the sound in the car, on the radio, at family functions and in the club. “I probably first heard it when I came out the damn womb and they were playing it in the hospital,” jokes Abdu Ali. Even DDm — who admits that he “hated” Baltimore club when he first heard it — cannot deny its place in Baltimore culture. “You’re kinda groomed to listen to it,” he says. “In the ‘90s and 2000s, it was a way of life.”

And while it was the soundtrack — or perhaps background music — to their formative years, this generation of Baltimore club musicians also witnessed its mid-aughts rise to prominence and subsequent fall. James Nasty (along with many of his peers, both in Baltimore and not) frequented the now-defunct Hollerboard, and he was surprised that people in other places cared about the club music of his hometown. Baltimore club was having a moment, albeit one for the OGs who built the sound (Scottie B, Rod Lee, KW Griff, DJ Technics) and the outsiders (Diplo and M.I.A.) that championed it.

The success was fleeting, however: the OGs weren’t prepared for the demands of the music industry in the Internet age, while Mad Decent moved on to shinier toys. Most significantly, Khia “K-Swift” Edgerton — a DJ, radio host, and Baltimore club’s biggest proponent — was killed in an accident at the age of 29. “People were hurt; it was like during the civil rights movements when Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X died,” says Ali. “Some people need those leaders for a movement to continue.” K-Swift’s passing was the final blow for a scene that was just starting to make shaky steps onto the global music scene.

“When you cut the head of something, the body falls,” says DJ AngelBaby, who followed in K-Swift’s footsteps at local radio station 92Q. “The scene fell off because everyone was on their own program, no one was working together, no one was pushing it.” James Nasty and his contemporaries were left to pick up the pieces. “It’s like being an investor, where you buy a lot of stock in something and after a year the stock drops,” he explains. “The stock in Baltimore club had dropped and the market crashed.”

Artists like DDm, who jokes that he’s “one of the older gals” on the scene, were able to learn lessons from the Baltimore club crash. “We weren’t ready, that’s just being honest,” he admits. “The city learned a lot of lessons the hard way” about how to brand artists, present music, and book — and “kill” — shows in other cities. “You’re fighting for your place in the pantheon of regions,” he explains. “It’s like The Hunger Games, and Baltimore is District 12. No one cares about this little coal mining town until something happens.”

While it has taken some time for those lessons to resonate in Baltimore, the end result has been on display about three hours north on I-95 for a few years now. Jersey club music began as an offshoot of Baltimore club but has since taken a life of its own, with proponents from Newark to Norway and the type of global reception that the Baltimore club never quite had the first time around. But aside from wanting a little credit where they believe due, there isn’t any bad blood against DJ Sliink and company in Baltimore.

“Nobody has a problem with the Jersey club scene,” Ali maintains. “People just want Baltimore club music to be acknowledged as where it began.” Some in the scene even hold Jersey club’s recent success as a point of pride. “If you have a kid who goes out and sees that world and has new experiences, you’re not going to love that kid any less,” says AngelBaby. “It’s important to embrace a child as it grows, not to say ‘no, stay here, be the same, home-grown whatever.’” Jersey and Philly club remain forever tied to Baltimore, and as AngelBaby says, “it makes it even more special to be a part of the Baltimore club scene, because this is the Mecca.”

The rise of Jersey club has also reinforced a lesson that the current crop of Baltimore club artists have taken to heart: the value of working together. “Those guys were very organized as a team,” says .rar Kelly, who credits Philly veteran Dirty South Joe for how smoothly the Jersey scene operates. “I don’t know if it was a conscious decision or not, but in a lot of ways, Baltimore saw how the way that these guys are organized has helped them,” leading to a what he describes as a “citywide effort” to get Baltimore club going again.

“In the last year, some of the younger producers started communicating together,” Nasty explains. “Instead of being in different pockets, we’ve started talking more, while keeping a level of competition.” AngelBaby concurs: “People love the music and they don’t want to see it fall to the wayside. We’re going to put our differences aside and make this music and make it rock. I know people working on tracks together now couldn’t stand each other last time.”

As with Baltimore club’s first run, Jersey club’s ascendence has not come without its own outsiders, both good actors like DJ Slow and Sam Tiba and the handful of anonymous Jersey Club obsessives who dominate SoundCloud (that latter controversy may already be over: DJ Sliink collaborated with “masked men” DJ Hoodboi and Trippy Turtle earlier this year). This time around, the outsiders interested in the Baltimore scene have a personal connection to it: as is the case with Baltimore’s new class, Baltimore club music was an early influence for a host of European producers.

“I came across Baltimore club first when Mad Decent were really getting behind it, and it’s always been a disappointment that it didn’t continue in the same way,” says Goon Club Allstars boss Moleskin. “Mad Decent is undeniably a massive platform – how was I, living in Somerset at the time, going to hear Baltimore club music without that?”

“Baltimore club was the club music that I really got obsessed with from outside of the UK and Europe,” says L-Vis 1990, who discovered Baltimore club (and made a connection with Diplo that would lead to his Baltimore-kissed Mad Decent release) via the Hollerboard. “This little community really opened my eyes to a lot of different club music, but I was mainly there for the Baltimore club,” he says. “Its simplicity and power through minimalism attracted me: club was so effective on the dance floor, and really stood out from the barrage of blog house that was around at the time.”

L-Vis was also behind a key moment in Baltimore club’s resurgence: the 2012 reissue of KW Griff’s epic ‘Bring In The Katz’ as part of Night Slugs’ Club Constructions series. Once again, Dirty South Joe played a key role, lacing L-Vis with the pack of Baltimore and Jersey Club bangers that contained ‘Katz’. After “smashing it out in the clubs for a while,” L-Vis thought that Slugs’ Club Constructions “was the perfect home” for the record; in fact, he says “the first seeds” for the series came from Baltimore club. “It felt great to shine some light on Baltimore through Slugs, as it had such a huge influence on myself and [Bok Bok].”

‘Bring In The Katz’ is one of Baltimore club’s most memorable tracks, and it was probably the best candidate for a crossover. “When I’ve heard it in the club, it always gets the same big reaction from the crowd,” says Gang Fatale’s Neana, who was literally taken aback when he first heard the song. “I think it resonated with punters who were comfortable with the hyperactive rhythms of grime, and when they heard the forwardness of a Baltimore beat, it already made lots of sense.” He’s not the only one to connect the rough-edged sounds of Baltimore club with those of grime: Moleskin’s ‘We Been Ready’ gives Wiley’s Devil Mix of ‘We’re Ready’ a very-Baltimore groove. “There is just something about horn tracks like ‘Anna’ by Ruff Sqwad and ‘Tear Da Club Up’ by DJ Class,” he says. “You know both of those are going to go off in a club.”

Baltimore club artists are taking the European interest in stride: Mighty Mark’s Mighty was released by French label Moveltraxx; Normaling has teamed with club legend Debonaire Samir to remix Woz’s Bmore-referencing ‘Cherry Hill’; and TT the Artist is working with everyone from Basement Jaxx to Nightwave. “There’s a real authenticity to Baltimore club; maybe that’s part of the appeal for Europe,” says .rar Kelly, adding with a laugh: “That, or they’re re-running The Wire on Sky.”

Earlier this year, the transatlantic communion took the next logical step, with Baltimore club the focus of a well-received special on the London-born Boiler Room platform. The New York session featured veterans Scottie B, DJ Technics and Rod Lee, along with new blood in James Nasty, Mighty Mark and TT the Artist. “It was great to be in that space and be appreciated,” says TT. “They could have reached out to only the old-school cats, but instead we got some love and respect for what we’re trying to establish.” The multitalented vocalist — who also dabbles in dance, filmmaking and creative direction — helped host the event. “It felt like a really big party, and sometimes in Baltimore, you don’t get that type of love because club music is taken for granted. It reminded us that there’s an outlet for this stuff elsewhere.”

With Baltimore club in the building, Boiler Room was a more lively affair than usual, which Mark attributes to making it not just about the DJing, but the entire cultural experience. “Baltimore club is not just about the tracks — it’s a feeling. For that two or three hours that you’re in the club, to quote Rod Lee, you dance your pain away. That’s why the club tracks are gritty, grimy, sweaty. It’s like you’re in a UFC fight and you’re battling and the DJ is sweating with you.”

The UFC nod is an apt one, and when it comes to Baltimore club, sports metaphors abound. “This is the most unified feeling I’ve ever felt in Baltimore, period,” says .rar Kelly. “It’s really supportive, and it doesn’t feel like bullshit. It really feels like a community: the Bad News Bears of Baltimore.” For the ever-irreverent DDm, Baltimore club is like the Baltimore Ravens: “It’s relatable to us, it looks and sounds like us. Granted, we may beat you up, and we may beat cases, but we’ve got two rings in 16 years.” Time will tell if Baltimore club gets that second championship ring. - FACT MAGAZINE

Baltimore club is resurgent not just because of breakbeat masters and Boiler Rooms (although those certainly help): the city’s queer scene has spent the last few years crossbreeding Bmore club with ballroom and other underground sounds for an even more raucous approach to club music.

That latter tradition is all over the debut EP by Normaling, Corpus Callosum (Latin for the “tough body” that connects the left and right brains). The duo, comprised of .rar Kelly and Lemz, expands the palette of Baltimore club with techno, electro, hip-hop and more, enlisting leading ladies of Baltimore Rye Rye and TT the Artist for the Miami bass-laced ‘Low Drop’ and rising rapper DDm on the true-to-its-title ‘Shade’.

Stream Corpus Callosum below; the EP is due out on August 25 via the duo’s Space Is The Place imprint. - FACT MAGAZINE

I gotta say, right now I'm 100% disinterested in working. I do not want to be at my desk, I do not want to be wearing a leather jacket in summer because the air-con is up so high I'm freezing my tits off. Ideally I'd like to be at a very sweaty club, in front of an industrial strength fan, pretending I'm Beyoncé and dancing like my next fried chicken sandwich depended on it. YUM.

This is what I did last Friday when I went to the Boiler Room and they had a Baltimore special where Tt The Artist and Mighty Mark made a special appearence. But that moment has passed, so I'll get over it already and focus on this sick Normaling remix of Astrolith's latest track.

Here's the family tree:

1. Normaling are .rar Kelly and DJ Lemz, a couple of music nerds who are set to drop their debut EP, Corpus Callosum, via Space Is the Place imprint, on 8/26. It features fellow Bmore cool kids, Rye Rye, Tt The Artist, and DDm (You can see a little bit more of .rar Kelly, Rye Rye, and Tt in our recent episode of Made In America - Made In Baltimore.)

2. Astrolith is a Brooklyn producer who teamed up with fanstastically outré NJ rapper Cakes Da Killa. Listen the original cut and watch the slick monochrome video below.

3. For this remix Normaling looped in Tt for extra bite.

What did the trio add to this already rad tune? Well they sped that shit up and threw down an old school beat while Tt gets gritty over the track's tailend. Dirty, sweaty, so very fine. Download it for free, blow off work, and go get wet. - Noisey / Vice

Lemz and .rar Kelly can read each other’s minds. The Baltimore duo who go by Normaling told me when I caught up with them recently that they usually find themselves making music while in parallel moods. Call it chance or fate, but this conscious connection results in the kind of kinetic music that plays like a conversation between people who know each other very well.

Normaling recently dropped their Corpus Callosum EP, a six-track collection that ties together strains of Baltimore club, house, hip-hop and Miami bass with some left-brain/right-brain tension. I chatted with the pair about the EP, the future of Baltimore music and Nicholas Cage. We’ve also got the premiere of Normaling’s new mix, Control That Dope, which you can stream below. Catch them this week at CMJ Music Marathon.

When you first start writing a track, what’s your process like? What do you usually start with?

Lemz: Usually, our writing process starts with a Parliament light and a Newport.

.rar Kelly: That’s completely accurate. Whenever Lemz comes over to work on tunes, my dog Murphy immediately runs to the patio door knowing that we will be heading out for a smoke.

Lemz: Don’t tell my parents.

.rar Kelly: Hahaha! But seriously, we usually take a moment to discuss what direction we want to take the day’s session and then go down into Buffalo Bill’s Basement Studios and start with a kick drum.

Lemz: Yeah, it’s usually based on our mood. If we’re both in a pissy mood, songs like our Urban Anatomy arise. When we are both in a giddy mood, we end up making a track like WhoFriend. The funny thing is, we usually are in the same mood when we go down to the studio to work.

Where do you go to find your samples?

Lemz: Rar is one of the gifted few that can find himself in the darkest corners of the Internet and still return with his sanity.

.rar Kelly: Years of training on Pai Mei’s mountain top.

Lemz: We also tend to pull a line from a hip-hop track that becomes the core of a track. We love chopping up acapellas to make them say something else. We are also big fans of what Sample Magic puts out. Those guys are really consistent despite the genre or style.

.rar Kelly: Being the charming cherub that he is, Lemz has a knack for swapping sample packs with other producers. I wish I had his charm. While I’m spending hours parsing through page after page of Russian file-sharing sites, he’ll come skipping over with a “Oh! Look what Tittsworth just gave me!”

When writing and recording a track, do you guys go back and forth or work together?

.rar Kelly: We work together, but depending on the track, we tend to switch up who takes the captain’s chair. And that’s not a figurative statement. There is literally one chair in Bill’s Basement Studios that looks more Captain Picard than the others. And which of our asses plants in the captain’s chair comes naturally based on the excitement in the other’s tone about his idea. There’s a lot of “Oooohhh wait wait! Lemme captain the breakdown,” or, “I have the BEST IDEA for a perc solo! Can I captain for a sec?” We switch seats a lot when we are working.

Lemz: Yeah, sometimes one of us will take over. Kinda like how .rar just did with this question.

.rar Kelly: Easy, cherub.

Is there any particular reason you gave your debut EP a title in Latin?

.rar Kelly: Lemz and my approach to creating music is very much from left-brain dominant/right-brain dominant headspaces. We even call each other LB (left brain) & RB (right brain) because of the way we each individually approach making music. But the music created as Normaling is very much the union of both of each of our dominant hemispheres. So it made sense to call the EP Corpus Callosum as a corpus callosum is the flat bundle of neural fibers beneath the brain’s cortex that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres and allows for interhemispheric communication.

Lemz: And again. Sometimes one of us just takes over.

What do you want people to feel when they’re listening to one of your tracks?

Lemz: Stop. I’m answering this one.

.rar Kelly: I didn’t even say anything yet.

Lemz: But I knew. Essentially, I want people to be as excited upon hearing one of our tunes as we got making it. We do this as a labor of love, and the only reward is people feeling a connection to the music, whether that is emotionally or physically.

.rar Kelly: They can’t be physically connected to our music, Lemz.
Lemz: That’s because we haven’t printed physical copies yet. Our full-length record will be distributed as a USB vibrator that buzzes along to the bassline.

Ha, sounds great. What’s the best thing that can happen during a live show for you?

Lemz: To see the audience having as much fun on the dance floor as we do on stage.

.rar Kelly: Yes. Having people there aside from us is always a bonus. But we have fun playing live with or without a crowd. We entertain ourselves first and foremost.

Lemz, you’ve been doing this since you were 13. What would you say was your biggest mistake starting out?

Lemz: Whew. Tough one. I’ve definitely made countless mistakes, but easily my biggest was not being patient. Whenever something great happened for a friend I would always be super proud, but always have that little voice in the back of my head saying, “But why not me?” You really just have to keep making what you love, not follow any trends. Just make the music that you want to hear in the world and your audience will find you. Embrace yourself and everyone else will do the same.

.rar Kelly, have you listened to R.L. Kelly?

.rar Kelly: I have. I quite like her sound. It reminds me a lot of the late, great Mark Linkous, whose Sparklehorse is one of my all-time favorite bands. An old friend of mine who knows my obsessive passion for Sparklehorse turned me onto R.L. Kelly’s Life’s A Bummer record the same winter Lemz and I started producing tracks together. I thought it was going to be R.L. Grime reworks of R. Kelly’s greatest hits, and was pleasantly surprised that You’re Not The Only Monster From Hell was not a trap remix of Thoia Thoing.

Where do you think Baltimore club is heading right now?

Lemz: Baltimore club is heading in such a new direction. Everyone in Baltimore has been collaborating and supporting each other, I think the future holds a new direction with many winks and nods to the original form. It’s a great time to be in Charm City.

.rar Kelly: Agreed. And it’s like every generation of Baltimore club music is involved in this new direction. Founding fathers like Rod Lee, Scottie B, and Samir are supporting and collaborating with the likes of Mighty Mark, TT The Artist, DDm, DJ Angelbaby, Matic808, Thunderbird Juicebox, James Nasty, Schwartz and us. Plus, our Space Is The Place Records has been working closely with Spank Rock’s Bad Blood Records so there’s really a home to distribute the wealth of talent coming outta Baltimore right now. Baltimore right now really feels like a family. We all push each other to work harder, push our sounds further and collectively work together. Any kind of success for one of us is really a success for all.

If Corpus Callosum was a Nicholas Cage movie, which one would it be?

.rar Kelly: Finally! The important question! Jesus, this is a good question. Probably the best question we’ve ever been asked by a journalist.

Lemzy, you go first. My head is spinning with responses.
Lemz: I would say Ghost Rider 2-meets-National Treasure. Corpus Callosum is the Illuminati-meets-Satan-meets-Disney. Rar, you got the floor.

.rar Kelly: This is an impossible task for me. There is no one single movie. Corpus Callosum is the audible manifestation of Nicolas Cage, himself. Period. *[Knocks over podium; licks the principal’s cheek; sets tie on fire. Exits stage left.]*

Anyone you want to shout out?

.rar Kelly: You mean aside from Nicolas Cage?! I would like to shout out the whole Space Is The Place Records team, especially Kate Boss and Astrolith; my family, including Jessica Hoy, who I swear shared the womb with me. I also want to send a shout out to Alex Burkat, Siyoung, Starkey, Dev79, and all of the fine folks at Seclusiasis, Bad Blood Records, Hot Mom USA, Club Kings, and Lazercrunk. Finally, I would like to shout out Fox Mulder and Mark Snow, whose monotone deliveries and lush synth-driven score lull me to sleep every night.

Lemz: I’d love to shout out my family, who have been so supportive ever since I had the crazy idea of wanting to DJ. My friends, for still loving me even though I can almost never hang out anymore. My fiancée and my cat, Freddie Mercury, who put up with my snoring every night. And finally, Brett McCabe, who will forever go down as the first person to write a scathing review on us. Sounds silly, but it was kind of inspiring. He really took his time with it.

What’s in the works for Normaling?

.rar Kelly: We just wrapped up a remix for Double Duchess and a collaborative remix with Baltimore Club legend, Debonaire Samir, of Woz’s Cherry Hill. Samir, Lemz and I work really well together, so we’ll be collaborating on some original material soon. Lemz and I are also finishing up a track we did with Ghettozoid on vocals for the forthcoming Space Is The Place Records compilation.

Lemz: All of the above, plus some remixes are being made of us. Can’t wait to hear those. Oh, and the Normaling full-length album. - CMJ

If there’s one style of music we seem to keep returning to, it’s that Baltimore club sound. And while the classic DJs and producers are still out there, we’re in a time where that next wave of Bmore club is being expressed, which leads us to Normaling. A duo comprised of rar Kelly and Lemz, Normaling’s take on Baltimore is a bit more expansive, allowing for electro, techno, and other vibes to have some time in the pool. Their Corpus Callosum EP recently dropped, and highlights the exact wave they’re on—one that’s just as quirky as it is funky. Before they join DJ Rod Lee and Spank Rock tomorrow night in Baltimore, we have a special entry into our DAD Mix series, which features a number of VIPs and dubplates for you. Perfect smash and grab for another late-summer weekend. - Do Androids Dance?

Headed up by DJs and producers Astrolith and .rar Kelly, Space Is the Place Records is an underground electronic music label specializing in Baltimore club music and other progressive, genre-blurring forms of late-night soundtracks. They’re known for their frequent parties at venues like Metro Gallery and after-parties for Artscape.

The label’s most recent release is the duo Normaling (one half is label co-founder .rar Kelly). Normaling’s single, “Low Drop,” features the local titans TT the Artist and Rye Rye. That’s a powerful combination right there. - Complex Magazine

Normaling, the duo of .rar Kelly and Lemz, have spent the last few years crossbreeding Baltimore club with techno, electro, hip-hop and more, an approach apparent on last year’s Corpus Callosum EP.

Their latest effort is an EP for Starkey and Dev79’s Seclusiasis imprint, Full Metal. As its title suggests, Kubrick classic Full Metal Jacket looms large: Matthew Modine’s screams and R. Lee Ermey’s orders are sampled, Bmore-style, over a beat that owes more to Miami bass and industrial.

In addition to the violent original (which you can stream below), the EP is rounded out by remixes by ballroom originator Vjuan Allure, Seclusiasis regular King and Berlin techno fiend House of Black Lanterns. Full Metal is due out on June 29 and is available to pre-order.

Last year, FACT dug into the global resurgence of Baltimore club. - Fact Magazine

As Dan Deacon points out in this eighth episode of Made In America, Baltimore is one of those cities that people and touring bands seems to pass over. Beyond the infamy the city garnered from The Wire and its most celebrated creative and fervent champion, director John Waters, Baltimore's music scene is surprisingly diverse, and thriving in pockets all over the city. They're doing what they want, exactly how they want: from Bmore club to avant electronica to hip-hop to indie rock and Vogue balls.

Here we explore it's DIY scene via Animal Collective and Dan Deacon, talk Bmore beats with rising stars Tt the Artist and Mighty Mark, and get a dance lesson from Rye Rye. Turns out rhythm is not our strong suit. Plus experimental electronica act Matmos provide insight into how the seemingly disparate scenes intersect and why. - Noisey / Vice

The story goes that .rar Kelly (described as "the scary one" in Normaling, his partnership with DJ Lemz) was invited to put together a club mix as if it were a film soundtrack. He responded with this mix and the following sentence:

"If Belly was directed by Gasper Noe, this would be the soundtrack."

The spirit of B'more and its world class club sounds are plainly evident here, especially in the chopped-up, fast-paced vocal sampling the scene became known for. And .rar Kelly's use of that approach in the context of tech-house, southern rap and booty bass is sure to make for one of the happiest half hours of your life. And yes, that is Nirvana you can hear in the middle. - Complex UK

Oooooh shit! Our favorite Baltimore badasses—Tt The Artist and DDm—have jumped on a track together, with Mighty Mark on production (who else!), and they're intent on serving up the weekend one day early. Noisey first hooked up with DDm earlier this year when we went to party at divey Bmore club The Crown. Along with Abdu Ali, he gave us a glimpse into the scene, which was tantalizing enough so that six months later we rolled back down to immerse ourselves more fully in the city's surprisingly diverse music network. That's when we went to Mighty Mark's home studio and met Tt The Artist. Essentially Noisey's love affair with Bmore is ongoing, which brings us back to TT's latest offering, "Elevator."

It kicks off with barely a heatbeat's worth of ominous rumbling before the big beat booty-shaker slams straight in, no lube, and yes, it feels just fine. Meanwhile DDm and Tt sound simultaneously sassy and slightly menacing. Also look at them. If you saw these kids in the playground you'd pretty much do anything to be part of their gang.

The best bit comes at 3.28 when the pace ratchets up a notch, Tt gets cut and paste tasty, and a Slinky slips in on the mix. OK, it's probably a xylophone, but if a Slinky made noise and a Slinky wanted to party, it would totally sound like this.

"Elevator" is your basic triumvirate of Bmore awesome, and on the flipside there's also a couple of sick remixes from their neighborly music-makers Thunderbird Juiceboxx and Normaling. Just a little taster of Tt ahead of her forthcoming EP, Art Royalty, out later this month. - Noisey

A seemingly unlikely pair from the outside looking in, the way Lemz and .rar Kelly met was purely an act of kismet, much like the stories of many other historic collaborations of the greats. It went down like this: unknowingly at the time, Lemz played a siren song direct to .rar Kelly’s soul when he played Gesaffelstein at The Ottobar here in Baltimore. The Ottobar might be grimey as fuck (in an endearing way, of course), but at the time, nobody here really had the chutzpah to channel the dark, electronic hymns of Gesaffelstein in the clubs, especially not in a Top 40-driven city like Baltimore. It was in that moment that they realized together, they just might be onto something.

The rest is history. Musically speaking, Lemz and .rar Kelly are soul mates. They finish each others sentences. They mirror each others thoughts. They’re left brain and right brain connected by the Corpus Callosum, which is incidentally how they titled their debut EP, officially released after a diligent year of working in the lab. If you paid any attention to the underground sounds of Baltimore, you knew Lemz and .rar Kelly were working on something, but you didn’t know exactly what it was becoming.

But one thing’s for certain – these two deal exclusively in emotions. They turn their backs the mainstream and are compelled only to make music that forces them, and us, to actually feel something. When asked to cite their influences, they mostly just derive inspiration from the music their friends are making: Mighty Mark and TT the Artist from Baltimore and the whole Seclusiasis family in Philly, to name a few. It’s a real grassroots movement here. Even Corpus Callosum was released via Space is the Place Records, a label ran by .rar Kelly and Astrolith of New York and formed simply out of a need to create a place for their family of artists to be properly showcased in the way that they deserve.

Listen to Normaling you might hear something like Baltimore club music for the runway. Or dark techno with a perfect hint of sass. The best part about their sound is the way it changes depending on how you shine a light on it. And unlike many other production twosomes, neither of them outshine the other. While they both bring their own unique element to the table, it gets equal representation in the output. See, .rar Kelly is a bit dark and mysterious while Lemz is like sunshine on a cloudy day. Together they’re like night and day, so their collaborative efforts behind the scenes could have shaped up to be anything, really, automatically cancelling out any notion of expectation. So, instead of teasing mediocre tracks along the way, Lemz and .rar Kelly exercised some serious patience and waited until their sounds, heavy and hard-hitting, were exactly as they imagined before sending them out into the world as Normaling.

So what is Normaling exactly? Their original intentions were a tongue-in-cheek way of poking fun at the mundane lifestyle nine-to-fivers. Sitting in traffic on the way to a job that just sucks the life out of you. Spilling Starbucks coffee on your tie. Major life buzzkills. But Normaling is much bigger than that.

The entire goal of Normaling is just to create something that’s genuine. No bullshit. And they don’t measure success by how much money they’ve made or how many heads fill the room when they’re playing. In fact, they’re gonna wild out and do as they do whether we’re there or not. They entertain each other just fine without us. They just want to keep it real and support the community in the process. Sonically speaking, they may seem a little dark and brooding at times, but there’s no shade coming from their corner. A win for Baltimore is a win for them.

And right now, Normaling is an essential part of a major renaissance in Baltimore – something that is truly electrifying. For the first time in a long time, now you can see the old school pioneers of club music like Scottie B, Rod Lee, and Samir playing right along side the new school players, bringing everything full circle and the entire experience generational. After years of Baltimore club music being put in the corner, having very few noteworthy hometown parties at which to dance and showcase our true sounds, and a community of artists who just wanted to pack up and leave, Baltimore is finally becoming the place to be again. The truth is, there’s a strong desire for a taste of Baltimore everywhere and not just Baltimore club music but the real underground sounds of Baltimore as a collective unit. As Lemz so perfectly stated, “Everybody was into Baltimore but Baltimore.” But witnessing the wild success of the latest Baltimore club showcase of infamous Boiler Room party in New York City, and the worldwide uplifting of true Baltimore talent like James Nasty, Mighty Mark, TT the Artist, and Schwarz, it’s safe to say the times, they are a-changin’. - Cool Breezy

Yesterday, TT The Artist and DDm released their collaborative Mighty Mark-produced single 'Elevator,' packaged with two remixes (from Thunderbird Juicebox and Normaling) and featuring cover art by City Paper contributor Alex Fine. 'Elevator' premiered over at Noisey (see: "TT The Artist and DDM's 'Elevator' Is a Masterclass in Bmore Booty Bass"), who've been super supportive of Baltimore's club-rappers lately even though we're not exactly sure what "Bmore booty bass" is, but hey, we're not exactly sure what to call this thing either, which rattles like spare Detroit Techno or Chicago house as much as it bumps like Bmore club. Indeed, Thunderbird Juicebox's remix turns out to be the most conventionally club thing here (what with gunshots and swirls of vocals stumbling over each other) while Normaling do their club-meets-"Drive" OST thing to the track to hypnotic effect. Great stuff here all around. 'Elevator' is from TT's upcoming EP, "Art Royalty." - CityPaper

Baltimore's Thunderbird Juicebox is hardly a name you're likely to forget. And the same goes for his bass-heavy take on the various incarnations of the "club sound" which has been taken on by Baltimore, New Jersey and Philadelphia-each with their own takes on it. With this remix of Normaling's "Lowdrop", Thunderbird blends all these influences together for a chugging slice of club music. The original, which featured vocals from TT The Artist and Rye Rye may not be immediately recognisable in this remix. In fact, the vocals have been almost entirely removed, leaving only the faintest hints of the two MCs on the track. And although he's taken care to draw on each of the three branches of East Coast club music, there's more than a hint of ghetto house swagger here too. Listen to Thunderbird Juicebox's "Lowdrop" remix, after the jump. His new EP, BMORE 3030, is due out on January 19 via Space Is The Place. - COMPLEX UK

Animal returns to Strange Matter this weekend, and Baltimore based Normaling plans to turn the night into an amazingly hot mess.

.rar Kelly and Lemz make up the B-more dj duo, and the two of them are pumped to bring their hard hitting beats to the dance floor of one of Richmond’s favorite queer dance nights.

More details about the pair via their website:

Starting as an idea on New Year’s Eve 2012/13, Baltimore producers .Rar Kelly and Lemz decided to turn two minds into one.

They got together and worked almost non stop on creating music through in person and internet collaborations. After enough material was made to the standards of these two gentlemen, Normaling was born. However, this was no usual collaboration. Having a combined 20+ years of music production and DJing under their belts, these two have become a force to be reckoned with.

Both .Rar Kelly and Lemz each have a distinct sound to their solo work and have been known for finding the best of their respected genres as DJs. Together, they make music that spans all over the wide map of electronic music, and they can’t wait to share it with the world around them.

We shot a few questions over to Normaling and they were kind enough to go in-depth with answers.

Make sure to check them out this weekend (more event details here)

1 – You’ve been producing and DJing for some time, what has changed in your song creating process? Do you miss the old days?

Lemz: Up until a few years ago, most of my music was being made on a drum machine/synth hybrid. I would record the songs by actually performing them on the machine until it came out right. I’m now strictly using Ableton and it has made my life WAY easier, and our music has become much more complex. I definitely do miss using the machine, but I love having a program to make our tunes have anywhere from 10 to 45 layers involved at any given time.

.rar Kelly: I come from playing in bands, where I was primarily focused on one instrument at a time. Now, like Lemz said, we have several instruments going at once in the studio and mix multiple tracks with various loops when we perform. And I love every minute of it. I don’t miss the old days at all. We fully embrace technology in both the studio and on stage. We both can do SO much more with a live set than we would be able to do if we just had crates of records or CDs.

2 – How does the Baltimore scene treat dance music these days? Are there clubs that stand out?

.rar Kelly: Baltimore has always loved dance music. I mean, the city created its own Baltimore Club sound. However, right now in the Baltimore, the level of talent and sense of community in dance music scene is unprecedented. I am consistently impressed not only by the ambition of Baltimore’s music scene, but by the quality of the output. A big reason why I co-founded Space is the Place Records is because I wanted to show the rest of the world what’s going on in Baltimore. Our peers are a constant inspiration for Lemz and me. The “new gen” producers like Thunderbird Juicebox, Mighty Mark, Matic808, Schwarz, James Nasty, Paul Hutson, DJ Dizzy, Grz and numerous others are constantly in our headphones and worked into our live sets. What’s more, Baltimore’s sound right now spans across generations of Bmore producers. We have had the fortune of working with our hometown heroes like Debonair Samir and Scottie B, who are just as inspired by what’s happening in Baltimore music right now.

What’s great is that the venues in Baltimore have recognized that there’s something special brewing and have put in just as much effort to upgrade their space to champion Baltimore’s rising tide. Venues like The Metro Gallery and The Crown have renovated and revamped so to create the perfect atmosphere for both the performers and audiences. It really feels like a citywide movement.

3 – does your sexuality play a role in your music? Do you look to mix/work with LGBTQ artists?

Lemz: As an out and proud gay man, being gay has warped into my daily life and become a part of my identity. I am inspired by so many aspects of gay culture from years past all the way until this very moment. I am a huge fan of artists that were vocal about their sexuality in a time where it wasn’t as accepted, namely Patrick Cowley & Sylvester. I view them as heroes and influences of mine. However, I’ve always tended to shy away from actually placing my sexuality as a main aspect of my music. I’ve always aimed to be a good artist that’s gay, not a gay artist that’s good. This does not mean I don’t include my gay influence in our music, though! One of the tracks on our debut EP, ‘Shade’, features a Baltimore local named DDm, who is an amazing rapper and very open about being gay. The track is influenced by vogue music and so DDm throws SO much shade through his lyrics. My being gay is definitely a part of the Normaling identity just as much as .rar Kelly’s straight preferences are. The element is definitely there and not hard to find, but our main focus is just to make music we enjoy. It just so happens that we enjoy and find inspiration from what’s dubbed as “gay music”.

When looking for collaborators, we look for one thing – talent. Whether straight or LGBTQ, whatever background you have, whatever race you are, none of that matters to us. We just want to work with people who we think are talented. We have worked with gay artists in the past, and definitely will again in the future.

4 – What are your shows like? What can people expect at ANIMAL this weekend?

.rar Kelly: We plan nothing before we get on stage. At most, we decide the first track to play beforehand, but that’s it. Every show we’ve played – and will play – is rooted in that spontaneity. Lemz and I play off each other. Our excitement on stage is genuine because we honestly haven’t a clue what’s going to come next. And because we get into it, we’ve found the crowds do too.

Lemz: Mr. Kellz just said that perfectly. It’s very important to us to be in the moment with the crowd in front of us and deliver something different each time. We feed off of crowd energy. It’s delicious.

5 – Have you been to Richmond before? Any fond memories of the area?

Lemz: YES! I absolutely LOVE it in Richmond. I first came here about a year ago when touring with Double Duchess, which is where I met Connie from ANIMAL. She invited me back to play the Pride ANIMAL Party and it was one of the most fun times I’ve had at a gig. The next day I met with some friends for brunch then was given a tour of the area. It’s gorgeous in Richmond! Not only that, but everyone is just so nice and welcoming. Richmond is the tea!

.rar Kelly: I think I was in Richmond for a school trip, but I don’t think that really counts. Lemz spoke so highly of ANIMAL from his Pride show that I am eager to check it all out.

6 – you mix a decent amount of hip hop into some of your tracks, but bounce back to more house as well – have you adapted to bring in different styles? Do you prefer one over the other?

.rar Kelly: There isn’t a preference per se. Rather, we have an idea for a particular track and then see where it takes us. Our track “Low Drop” with Rye Rye and TT the Artist was a track that we had sat on for nearly a year. It had hip-hip inspired kick drums and vocal samples that worked hand-in-hand with the track’s club music aspects, but we both felt it was incomplete. It wasn’t until we had Rye Rye and TT the Artist on the track that we felt a sense of completion with “Low Drop”. Because of our patience with the song, we ended up having two of the best Baltimore rappers – from two different generations of Baltimore Club – exchange rapid-fire verses for the first time on the same track. “Low Drop” was a great lesson in patience and perseverance for both of us.

Lemz: We started making tunes that we wanted to hear out in the clubs. Both of us loooooove hip-hop as much as we love club music, so blending together those genres was bound to happen. When I started DJing, I could only find hip-hop vinyls at the record store, so that’s what I learned on. But I was spending my time downloading techno on Kazaa and Limewire because I didn’t know where else to get it. They’re both prominent on what we are musically, but I secretly love techno a smidge more than hip hop. Like a 51/49 percent split.

.rar Kelly: That smidge is heard even in our more hip-hop sounding tracks. I think that why Lemz and I work so well together and why Normaling works is because we both love such a wide array of music and bring that myriad of sounds into our productions and live performances. We are like giant sonic sponges. Case and point, Clint Mansell’s soundtrack for the show The Knick is playing in the background while we are answering your questions.

Lemz: Yep, just two giant sonic sponges sittin’ here soaking in all kinds of basslines and soundtracks and whatever else. #squarepants

7 – What’s the hardest part of being a DJ these days? How do you develop a unique sound?

Lemz: Honestly, the hardest part is delivering something fresh during a live show. It’s just not that entertaining to watch a person stare at a laptop and be so enthralled in it that they can’t do more than a head bob and occasional smile to the crowd. That’s why we work so well as a duo, because we spend our stage time entertaining ourselves and jumping around like madmen. While one is working away on the equipment the other is making a spectacle of his self or talking to the crowd. We show love to the crowd that’s in front of us cause it’s so cool to us knowing that maybe somewhere in the crowd, someone possibly came just to hear us play.

.rar Kelly: Lemzy, that’s it exactly! You can’t go into it with a preconceived notion of making something unique. For us, any kind of “unique sound” we may have created comes from our “don’t overthink it” live show mentality. Every single show we’ve played has been on the fly; therefore, we will never play the same set twice. This approach, coupled with our passion for a variety of musical genres, is what makes playing together as Normaling so exciting. We will end up mixing everything from Nine Inch Nails into Carl Craig into Biggie into RuPaul.

8 – What trends in modern dance music do you like? What do you not like?

.rar Kelly: I like how dance music has now become this melting pot. I think of producers like Swindle or Total Freedom or House of Black Lanterns who pull from a variety of musical genres, dissect and then refine them into their own unique productions. I love these hybrid genre musical amalgamations that keep cropping up in dance music. Conversely, what I don’t like in modern dance music – namely modern American dance music – is whatever the hell “EDM” is. I detest those Big Room synths. That whole sound is like the hair metal ballad of dance music. Unnecessary. Also, I’m partial to keeping dance music inside – not at outdoor festivals. I do not want mud on my Sauconys.

Lemz: And .rar does love his Sauconys. My favorite trend is all these record labels that are more of a family than a business popping up. I mean this in the sense of all of the artists are obviously friends and still influence each other. It leads to amazing collaborations. Some on the ones doing it best are Bromance, Dirty Bird, Night Slugs, and Fade to Mind. This is the mindset and ethos at our home base Space is the Place Records. I’m not a fan of people trying to make dance music exclusive. It’s just not what it was founded on. I’ve seen people waste so much money on buying a table at the club and ordering a huge bottle of champagne with a gigantic sparkler attached to the top to show off but my god that looks stupid. It goes completely against the nature of the music. Dance music was almost strictly played at raves and warehouse parties back in the day with the PLUR motto with a huge community mindset. I want to see more of people looking out for each other at shows, and just simply being nice to each other. I’d love to see the masses go out to hear something new rather than to hold down as many shots as their bodies will allow.



9 – Any advice for folks on the fence about coming out to your show this weekend?

Lemz: Sleep when you’re dead.

.rar Kelly: And if you’re dead, you will still make for an excellent Normaling audience member.

Lemz: Oh my god. No. Please don’t be dead. Kidding aside, it would be great if you came. We’re a huge fan of meeting new people and will be likely posted up at the bar drinking with anyone who will talk to us before the show.

.rar Kelly: Even if you can’t talk because of your death, then we will still string you up like Bernie and marionette your ass onto the floor.

10 – Anything else you want to say about your music?

.rar Kelly: Our collaborative track with Berlin’s Ghettozoid just dropped on Space is the Place’s Expose Yourself compilation. We also just did a Baltimore Club remix of Austin-based blues artist, Leon Bridges. We also recently did a remix for Double Duchess as well as one for TT the Artist, Mighty Mark, and DDm’s “Elevator”. We also just finished up a remix of Woz’s amazing “Cherry Hill” with Debonair Samir that we hope will be released on Black Butter Records, and are working with Samir again on more material. Oh, and we did an unnerving remix of Sophie that’s coming out on a compilation in 2015.

Lemz: Even though quite a few of these won’t be out for a while, expect to hear them at ANIMAL along with remixes and edits we made specifically for live shows. In addition to all of the things .rar mentioned, we have started working on original material for our debut album. We are excited for all of these to come out in the near future. - GayRVA

Though cutthroat sports rivals, Pittsburgh and Baltimore have gelled in a certain sense: as musical cohorts, and as cities leading parallel musical lives. Baltimore DJ .rar Kelly explains that the current Baltimore club scene mimics what he saw Pittsburgh exuding in 2008.

"Everybody works together," he says, reflecting on his own four years living in the Steel City. "They know one another in some capacity, because they're both small, blue-collar towns." The limiting factors of a small city generate a vibrant underground scene with a built-in support system — because there's no other way to survive.

Normaling, a duo consisting of Kelly and his musical partner Lemz, produces insanely palatable electro, hip-hop and techno beats. The duo is one of a slew of acts performing this Fri., Nov. 28, at Belvedere's as part of what's dubbed the Baltimore Club Takeover.

Kelly explains the upcoming showcase in one word: energy. "We know that the crowd has a good time when the musicians have a good time and ..."

"We have fun," finishes Lemz.

The event, presented by local promoter Obvious, will give Pittsburgh an intense taste of the Baltimore club scene, featuring artists Scottie B, TT the Artist, Mighty Mark, DDm and other current staples.

Kelly is quick to compliment music fans in Pittsburgh, citing it as his favorite place to perform. "The listening audience in Pittsburgh is very open-minded," he notes, "and is genuinely interested in the music that you play. It still has that reputation." He and Lemz compare it to Baltimore, which is, perhaps, still learning to play well with others. Right now, they assert, "Baltimore loves Baltimore."

The goal of Normaling is to create something that's genuine and marries the members' unique interests. Kelly explains that their biggest influence in this regard is actually living in Baltimore. "I feel like Baltimore club music is one of the most authentic, regional sounds in America, period," he says. The collective unit of Baltimore artists casts a spirit that rubs off on all those working within it.

Part of this unit is charismatic and outspoken DDm, one of the first openly gay rappers in Baltimore. He labels his personality as "authentically" Baltimore: "I'm raw, I'm rough around the edges, I get right to the chase. ... I don't negotiate that when it comes to my music." He posits that the small size of Baltimore has inadvertently caused the musicians there to make music that is true to their passions. He explains, "We're not holding our breath to be the next big pop sensation."

This new community is tight, but that's not to say it's insular. Born from a scene made of artists working independently, this new generation has banded together to support and collaborate with each other.

"We understand what we're up against," DDm admits, "and we have to stick together — we have to have that kind of camaraderie."

Even the old-school producers are in on it; legends like Scottie B and Rod Lee are actively working with the new generation of producers. Lemz explains: "Everyone is realizing that you shine brighter through it." - Pittsburgh City Paper

Over the weekend, Pittsburgh enjoyed all the "Think"-breaks, gunshot samples, and grimy vulgarities that Baltimore club music has to offer. Sharing is caring and if other cities want to hear what we have to say (and man, do we have a lot on our minds), who are we to deny them the pleasure? So Pittsburgh promoter, Obvious, hosted an array of Baltimore club producers spanning multiple generations of the sound, including Scottie B, TT The Artist, Mighty Mark, Normaling, DDm, and Thunderbird Juicebox, for the ultimate post-Thanksgiving shake off.

To celebrate Baltimore's invasion into Pittsburgh, our own .rar Kelly mixed a proper hour-long Baltimore club set to prepare the city for what was to come. You might know .rar Kelly from his work with DJ Lemz in their Baltimore-based production duo, Normaling, in which they create their own interpretation of Baltimore club music that sounds a lot like future club met dark techno on the fashion runway. The sound is so personal and genuine - there really is nothing else that sounds like it right now and that's what makes it incredible.

.rar Kelly said this mix was a totally spontaneous creation. Nothing was planned - he just worked the decks the best way he knows how and I just can't get over how one hour perfectly encapsulated his main ideas about club music. First, that club music should be shared with everyone who is willing to listen - even those outside of our respective city lines - so that's why you'll hear Philly artists, like Emynd, and DJ Sega, naturally sharing space with Baltimore's myriad of club producers on this mix (Share the wealth!).

Second, this whole club movement works best when the original pioneers mingle with the up-and-coming generation of artists. Baltimore club is constantly evolving but it doesn't start and end with one producer's arbitrarily defined hey-day. Magic happens when the first generation of club music is engaged with current club producers and contemporary artists. This is evident with Booman remixing Bobby Shmurda and Samir remixing Astronomar. Club music is truly more interesting, complex, and engaging when it's generational.

And third, everybody has a voice here. Before the show, .rar Kelly told Pittsburgh City Paper that "Baltimore club music is one of the most authentic, regional sounds in America, period." As a city, it's hard to deny that this sound is so uniquely us - yet exclusivity will only hold us back. We're all in this together now. So you'll hear OG pioneers like Scottie B, KW Griff, and DJ Technics harmoniously mixed in with today's current favorites like Mighty Mark, James Nasty, and TT The Artist, along with up-and-coming producers you might not be familiar with yet, like Thunderbird Juicebox, DJ Dizzy, and Grz. This special sound that we're nurturing belongs to all of us.

Club music just never ceases to amaze me. This mix proudly showcases the unique interpretations of each producer and the amazing evolution the sound has taken so far. In fact, this would be a great way to introduce a new fan of Baltimore club to the depth of its culture by moving past the hits and straight to the underground that drives the movement forward. - True Laurels

The story goes that .rar Kelly (described as "the scary one" in Normaling, his partnership with DJ Lemz) was invited to put together a club mix as if it were a film soundtrack. He responded with this mix and the following sentence:

"If Belly was directed by Gasper Noe, this would be the soundtrack."

The spirit of B'more and its world class club sounds are plainly evident here, especially in the chopped-up, fast-paced vocal sampling the scene became known for. And .rar Kelly's use of that approach in the context of tech-house, southern rap and booty bass is sure to make for one of the happiest half hours of your life. And yes, that is Nirvana you can hear in the middle. - COMPLEX UK

It was awesome collaborating with the big homie.rar Kelly on this mix. He’s one of the illest DJ’s in the DMV and always has his pulse on what’s new and hot in Baltimore. More than anything he blessed us with this mega dope mix to share with all of you wonderful Champions. So while your out there winning at your jobs, in the gym, or just in the clubs period be sure to press play and rock out to his new monster mix. You can find the mix for download here.

Also, check him out live this month performing with his partner in the fresh group Normaling, December 23, 2014 at Metro Gallery. If you’d like to get a taste of Normaling definitely check out their collaborative track Aliquid featuring Berlin’s Ghettozoid now available on the Space is the Place Records compilation “Expose Yourself Vol. 1″ on iTunes. - Stereo Champions

Shelling out top-shelf street bass sounds is the only thing you’d ever expect from Dev79 and Starkey’s Seclusiasis imprint. The Philly-based label has made it so through its solid catalog, which stretches far and wide across all manners of low-end club music. Such is the case with Normaling’s newest EP, Full Metal, which sees the boys break out a Bmore stomper that’s locked and loaded with superb screaming samples from the cult classic film Full Metal Jacket.

Backing up the original are three terrorizing remixes, in which .rar Kelly and Lemz enlist the talents of homies KING and House of Black Lanterns. Also falling into position on the release is ballroom originator Vjuan Allure, who charges out with a militantly meticulous rework that’ll make you shake in your boots. It bumps and bleeds brilliance like no other, while maintaining the rawness Normaling set out to conquer with their creation.


Were you impulsive on this track, or did you have a sketch in mind before you started?
Normaling: The track was purely impulsive. We were in the studio that day, knowing we wanted to make something, but had no endgame on what. We happened upon the famous Full Metal Jacket scene and thought it would be funny to sample parts of it, and accidentally used the scream instead of dialogue. The rest flowed naturally.

Vjuan Allure: I was drawn to this track. I listened to the original and got inspired immediately. I took it from the first note to the last, got chills, and commenced. I only heard it once; that’s all I needed. It sunk in, and my creativity took off.

Who is the ideal person to remix this track?
N: We ended up getting our dream team of remixers for this track with Vjuan, KING and House of Black Lanterns. We were both listening to these three a lot when we made “Full Metal,” and their influence can be heard in the track. KING has this unique ability to craft these low-end masterpieces that don’t really fit neatly into any particular genre. His music is fearless. KING pushes the audience out of their comfort zone and inspired us to do the same with “Full Metal.”

Vjuan Allure is one of our favorite ballroom producers. His music is and has been a constant inspiration for us since we first started working together. He’s not afraid to take musical risks, and we love that he does so with a wink and a smile. There’s a lot of Vjuan’s subtle humor in “Full Metal,” and you can definitely hear it in his Elite Shrapnel Mix.

As for House of Black Lanterns, well, there’s really no producer that we’ve heard on this planet that creates his kind of atmospheric tones. His music is uniquely ominous and serene. House of Black Lanterns is a master of crafting visceral sounds that evoke polarizing, emotive responses simultaneously. We really wanted to create that kind of reaction with “Full Metal.” Honestly, we still can’t believe that all three of these producers remixed our track. We’re quite honored. It’s like everything came full circle.

Do you think advances in computer technology and gear have affected your creativity?
N: It has totally impacted the way we approach making music. I, Lemz, have always been making electronic, but .rar also spent time in bands, so the recording and creative process is a little different. Using technology gives us the ability to create our tracks exactly how we envision the final product, but lets us experiment with different processes on how to get there.

Did you discuss or exchange ideas with other producers while creating this track?
V: No, I don’t discuss anything I’m going to do with anyone. After I listen to what’s been presented to me, I try and imagine how can I speak the artist’s name the “elite” way, and then the shenanigans ensue…

If you were to describe this track as a scent, a signature fragrance as it were, what would it be called? If it were to have a tagline, what would it be?

N: If it were a signature fragrance, “Full Metal” would be called “Modine’s Agony,” as there are at least 23 different Matthew Modine screams from Full Metal Jacket layered in there. When Starkey sent us the masters, we sent “Full Metal” to Matthew Modine via a mutual friend, and he digs it. Tagline: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for beauty.”

Describe the best setting/activity to hear this track.

V: The perfect atmosphere to hear this track is turned up loud in a club, hyped up, already partying… and then this drops. You scream, you holler, you lose it!

How do you measure the success of a track?

V: The way I measure the success of a track is if the company or artist I am remixing likes what I’ve done. To please a record company, you have to satisfy what they would put out on their label themselves, and to please an artist with their creation—their “baby” that you’ve mixed or remixed for them—is a personal win; you’ve won their approval.

N: We are both really critical of our own material, and so “success” for us is if we’ve made a track that we both really like to listen to and enjoy playing out. If anyone else also likes it, that’s just a bonus.

How does this production reflect your personality/ethos?
N: “Full Metal” is a perfect example of both of our personalities. The guitars’ feedback and atmospheric noise sections are very much .rar Kelly’s headspace. The club patterns and low-end groove is very much Lemz. The Mathew Modine screams are the perfect blend of both of us: rage channeled through a club pattern—aggression for the dancefloor.

What were you doing when you came up with the idea for this song? Did you drop what you were doing and get to work, or did you make notes and get to it when you could?
V: When I started this project, I first got comfortable, got a drink, because I heard it was a rowdy one—and it did not disappoint! Once I heard it, I got an idea of where I would be taking what they did: just as rowdy, but in a different direction. I worked on it but had to take a break due to an unfortunate circumstance. But when I came back to it to finish it, I got deep into it and delivered it on time.

Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process of this track that made you feel as though you were creating something pretty damn special?

N: The moment we realized that we had something special was when we played the work-in-progress that became “Full Metal” on Joe Nice’s SubFM show, Gourmet Beats. Joe loved the track and screamed in the studio for a rewind. And when Joe Nice calls “fives” on your own track, you know you’re on to something. We finished “Full Metal” 48 hours later. - Insomniac

The Philadelphia based Seclusiasis imprint have showcased the talents of Kaw Beats, Ill-Esha and Dev79 to name but a few. Their latest catalogue edition comes from Baltimore’s Normaling, the two piece duo bring Full Metal EP.

Coming as a title track original and three nice remixes, Full Metal covers all areas of the sonic scope; we premiere House Of Black Lanterns esoteric edit exclusively in full length.

Bringing a blend of cold and metallic edges to the mix, House Of Black Lanterns brings his usual, dark, melancholic brand of heavy hitting bass music. His ability to carve drums into an expertly mixed blend of piercing transients and vibey grooves is a rare talent, one he exploits perfectly.

Get ‘Normaling – Full Metal EP’ from June 29th on Seclusiasis. - Soundspace

When I was in Baltimore last month, I asked many people about the state of Baltimore club—a local genre that smashes together hip-hop, house, and club into raw, hook-heavy dance tracks at 130 BPM. The replies I got were fiercely opinionated and wildly varied, yet rooted in a common sense of pride. Some said that Baltimore club's heyday has passed and today's scene barely exists. Others insisted that while you won't hear it in nightclubs anymore, a new crop of talent (as well as old-gen stalwarts) are keeping the spirit alive while pushing the sound into exciting, hybrid directions.

Five minutes into this mix by Baltimore club pioneer Scottie B—credited with nurturing the genre from the streets to widespread popularity—and I'm already swayed towards the latter camp. In just shy of 35 minutes, the veteran DJ and Unruly Records co-founder delivers a raw lesson on Baltimore club's vitality—packing in OGs like Rod Lee to up-and-comers like Thunderbird Juicebox and Matic808, as well as artists like Night Slugs' L-Vis 1990, who has been repping Baltimore club for quite a while.

"I feel that these are some of the most progressive DJs/producers today when it comes to that real raw dance music," Scottie B says. "This is Baltimore, no matter the genre. We make it to dance."

Scottie B will be one of the headliners at this weekend's Splace Scape—a two-day event during Artscape, Baltimore's biggest music and arts festival. Hosted by local label Space is the Place (yes—that's a Sun Ra reference), the show's concept is about "bringing old-gen Baltimore club together with new gen, [something that's] very much at the core of how we run the label," says label co-founder Kate Boss. "It'll be like in season six of The Sopranos when Tony takes peyote in Vegas and wins at roulette. Then the sun...came up," adds fellow co-founder Astrolith.

"Many of us in the city feel that [Baltimore club] is at the dawn of a new renaissance," continues .rar Kelly, also a member of the Space is the Place crew.

"[It] is entering an evolutionary phase that happened with hip-hop in late-1992 through 1993, when the sound evolved from Wreck N Effect and Teddy Riley to The Chronic and 36 Chambers. Griff and Porkchop's "Bring in the Katz" was like our "Fight the Power"— a watershed track that inspired all us Baltimore producers."All the label founders and Scottie B can agree on one thing: Baltimore club is more than just a genre. Baltimore club is a feeling— an unpretentious hustle that transcends its sonic characteristics. Throwing some cunty vocal samples on top of a Think break just doesn't cut it.

.rar Kelly puts it best when he phrases it like this: "We really view Baltimore club— and all regional club music for that matter—as if it is one incomplete club track to which we all add a piece."

Splace Scape will take place at The Metro Gallery in Baltimore on July 17 and 18. Get tickets here.

Michelle Lhooq maxes out dancefloors like a credit card. Follow her on Twitter.

Tracklist:

1. Double Duchess - Good Girl Freak Out (Normaling Remix)
2. Rod Lee - Enjoy Yourself
3. Deekline ft. DJ Assault - Clap Yo Handz (Tony Quattro Remix)
4. Normaling ft. Rye Rye & TT the Artist - Low Drop (Tony Quattro Remix)
5. Dai Burger - Fuzzy Gang (Produced by Mighty Mark)
6. DJ Booman - James' Revenge
7. Astrolith ft. Cakes Da Killa - Give It To Me (Normaling & TT the Artist Remix)
8. DJ Pierre - That's This Shit Right Here
9. Kw Griff ft Porkchop - Bring In The Katz (Lvis 1990 Remix)
10. Vjuan Allure - Polka Dot Afro Pussy
11. Matic808 - I Want U
12. Normaling - Full Metal
13. L-Vis 1990 - VHS Crash
14. Matic808 - Cerveja (Remix)
15. Thunderbird Juicebox - Glen Burnie Redux
16. Rell Rock, Punk Trouble - Boyz N Blue (Tony Quattro Remix)
17. Matic808 - Am I Wrong - Thump: Vice

For our next release Baltimore badboy duo Normaling presents “Full Metal” – a club onslaught that takes no prisoners on the dancefloor. Featuring sick and eclectic remixes by KING, Vjuan Allure and House of Black Lanterns!!! Look for this gem to be in all digital shops & streaming on Monday June 29th!

Normaling bring their raucous approach to club music for their debut Seclusiasis release. This full throttle audible frenzy may teeter on the abrasive, but “Full Metal” could very well become the anthem for stomping the night away on the dancefloor – or rioting in the streets. Either way, this club monster will get you screaming and pumping your fists!

In addition to the hell-on-wheels onslaught of Normaling’s original, we’ve backed it up with 3 surefire remixes that touch on a myriad of sonic flavors to round out the package. No stranger to Seclusiasis’ catalog, Las Vegas badman King steps up with a captivating percussion workout. One of the founding fathers and brightest stars in the ballroom house scene, Vjuan Allure, tones down the original’s menacing qualities, and amps up the bump factor for his remix. And closing it out, Berlin’s House of Black Lanterns gives us a late night techno infused track that’s sure to vibe you out after a long night of raving.

A seemingly unlikely pair from the outside looking in, Normaling’s .rar Kelly and Lemz expands the palette of Baltimore Club with techno, electro, hip-hop, ballroom, cinematic soundscapes and a host of other underground sounds. When listening to Normaling you might hear something like Baltimore Club music for the runway, or dark techno with a perfect hint of sass. Although their sound may prove undefinable, one fact remains – Normaling is pushing club music to it’s furthest edges and laughing all the way. - Seclusiasis

Two queer bands are headed back to our fair city this weekend, and the folks from Animal, RVA’s best queer dance party, are pumped to bring them to town.

Back in December, 2014, we spoke some with Baltimore’s Normaling ahead of their last RVA show. Lemz, one half of the DJ duo along side .rar, spoke some about how his sexuality impacts the bang’n tracks they make:

As an out and proud gay man, being gay has warped into my daily life and become a part of my identity. I am inspired by so many aspects of gay culture from years past all the way until this very moment. I am a huge fan of artists that were vocal about their sexuality in a time where it wasn’t as accepted, namely Patrick Cowley & Sylvester. I view them as heroes and influences of mine. However, I’ve always tended to shy away from actually placing my sexuality as a main aspect of my music. I’ve always aimed to be a good artist that’s gay, not a gay artist that’s good. This does not mean I don’t include my gay influence in our music, though! One of the tracks on our debut EP, ‘Shade’, features a Baltimore local named DDm, who is an amazing rapper and very open about being gay. The track is influenced by vogue music and so DDm throws SO much shade through his lyrics. My being gay is definitely a part of the Normaling identity just as much as .rar Kelly’s straight preferences are. The element is definitely there and not hard to find, but our main focus is just to make music we enjoy. It just so happens that we enjoy and find inspiration from what’s dubbed as “gay music”. - Gay RVA

Normaling mobile EPK - exert.io