TOKiMONSTA, AKA Jennifer Lee, has sewn her blend of downtempo electronic, hip-hop, and R&B together masterfully once more in her newest LP Half Shadows and is celebrating with a live set to release the album at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco on April 10th.
The Los Angeles based producer has been making huge waves in the Los Angeles music scene over the past few years and was even recently dubbed, “#1 Female DJ in Los Angeles,” by LA Weekly. Lee has received similar praise from music elites like Pitchfork, NPR, Rolling Stone, MTV, Spin Magazine and more, but her real break was being signed to Flying Lotus’ record label, Brainfeeder, alongside artists like Daedelus, Thundercat, The Gaslamp Killer, and more. This most recent album contains thirteen songs that are rich with collaborations most notably with rap legend Kool Keith on the track, “The Force.”
Lee spoke of collaborating with Keith saying, “He brought me a Dr. Octagon-style verse, which is more than I could have expected,” she smiles. “He’s a genius, and it was amazing to work with him. Lyrically, this track is a sci-fi rap. There’s a visual of riding around in a space benz and saying, ‘F*ck the galatic police.’”
Sonically, TOKiMONSTA finds a pleasing medium between Flying Lotus’ style of unsyncopated hip-hop drums and jazz elements with indie-electronic rhythms often featuring soothing vocals and soundscape-like sweeping ambient sounds. Because of this eclectic mix, Lee’s music fits like a peg in a night of melodic downtempo grooviness just as much as it does in a night of bouncy hip-hop vibes that keeps heads bobbing.
TOKiMONSTA is playing at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco on April 10th with MNDR and Astronautica with further support from DJ Balance and DJ Freefall as an album release event for Half Shadows. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at dnalounge.com
