Thursday, Nov 29 - Back Room
Telephoned singles EP release party

w/ Jubilee, Hot Sugar

Thursday, Nov 29
11:00 pm in the Back Room

Free / 21+

Telephoned was born one night in Brooklyn when DJ/producer Sammy Bananas and singer Maggie Horn decided to record their own version of T-Pain's "Can't Believe It." Their track was neither remix nor cover - instead, the duo fashioned a postmodern take on both, warping the original beat into a hypnotic club track and bringing out the dreamy qualities only hinted at in Pain's auto-tuned melodies. Sammy and Maggie's fresh "Can't Believe It" quickly became a DJ favorite - even making it into mix rotation on LA hip-hop station Power 106! - so they decided to keep recording as a team, cleverly named after the kids game of Telephone: no faithful copies, just a party line of unexpected twists.

Over the past three years, the duo have expanded the concept to also include original songs. With '11's Hold Me they hinted at a broader range, and in winter '12 unveiled Ring Ring, a full EP of originals and their second release on standard-setting Fool’s Gold Records. Harnessing the good-time energy of the group’s cover-heavy mixtapes and live sets, Maggie and Sammy created three brand new songs that gleefully hopscotch from new-wave inspired r&b (“Last Time”) to shuffling funky house (“The Vow”) and the title track’s roller rink disco vibes. With a remix release on the way, the calls continue as Krystal Klear, Jr Blender and others give their takes on Telephoned originals!

As a part of their game, Telephoned compile mixes modeled in the tradition of rap street tapes. Bananas selects recognizable instrumentals from dance and hip-hop while Horn sings other songs on top of them, a combination the group christen the "cover-up". Most recently on U Don't Have To Call, the duo drew acclaim when they selected 4 tracks by buzzing hip-hop producer Clams Casino and matched them with covers of early 2000's R&B hits, creating a unique re-interpretation. The release caught the ear of Hot 97's Miss Info, prompting her to comment "I love to blast Telephoned on 10!"

Telephoned's energetic, mixtape-dance-party of a live show got the attention of prestigious website Pitchfork, who called a performance in Austin,TX "the most fun thing at SXSW." Electro-revivalists Chromeo invited the duo to join them on their "Business Casual" Tour, making stops in over 20 cities while performing to packed venues across the US and Canada. As they incorporate their originals into live sets, Maggie and Sammy play with references as they "cover-up" their own songs to keep the fast-paced show moving at a rapid clip. Telephoned excels by transforming and mutating songs through their own lens, and thats the only rule to play their game.