Swagger is defined as an impressive strut of assured confidence. Uproot Andy and Geko Jones, the purveyors of the monthly Que Bajo?! party, have a strut that happens to the beat of a drum that inspires the beholder’s stride. After an impressive set at No Escape from New York, Uproot Andy left us wanting more, leading us to check out Que Bajo?! at Santos Party House for ourselves. Merging different styles of music, from Colombian Cumbia and Chicha to Peruvian Cumbia over surf guitars, Uproot Andy (aka Andy Gillis) blends these traditional beats with tracks from popular artists like Toy Selectah, Radioclit, Douster, ODB, and Daft Punk, along with international artists like Grupo Kual from Mexico, Los Pibes Chorros from Argentina, and Petrona Martinez from Columbia.

Andy delivered rhythmic infusions to a packed room that shuffled and sashayed to his unique style of mixing. While he threw in familiar songs like Major Lazer’s “Hold The Line,” the night held a series of surprises that kept a fervent audience dancing  in excitement to Spanish accents that shook the dance floor of Santos well into the night. Adding injections of dancehall, bullerengue, baile funk, mambo, dubstep and crunk, Andy whipped-up a concoction of delectable beats. On paper, his electronic infusions of sounds may seem incompatible, yet Andy expertly puts them together like the pieces of a puzzle and cuts tracks at their corners to create a mix and match like a magician behind the decks. With a captivating style, Andy’s sound is a colorful breath of fresh air. More importantly, he and Geko Jones catered a great event that put smiles on faces as they came and went, providing a new beat fit for the stride of any swagger, along with their own.

Check out photos from the night by Oliver Correa. If you missed the revelry, check out two tracks from Andy below.

Uproot Andy – “Daft Cumbia”

Uproot Andy – “Brooklyn Cumbia”

Trouble & Bass‘ first outing of the year proved to be a resounding success. Testing the waters with a new venue, The Studio at Webster Hall was a more fitting backdrop for the grimy bass that we’ve come to expect from the Trouble & Bass Crew, who kicked things off with a tag-team set. The Captain, Star Eyes, and AC Slater began on a lighter note, with some Jeff Mills-inspired electro-pop; it wasn’t until later that The Captain moved into dubstep after dropping a remix of Sisqo’s “Thong Song”. Other highlights included remixes of “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” by SOS Band and “Sound of Kuduro” by Buraka Som Sistema (featuring M.I.A.).

As they took the stage close to 1 AM, Ninjasonik frontman Telli Gramz appropriately declared, “we’re here to bring a little trouble to go along with this bass”. While there was considerably less crowd surfing this time around, Ninjasonik managed to keep the energy high with songs like “Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant”, and remixes of Major Lazer’s “Hold the Line” and “Pon de Floor”. They closed with their remix of “Daylight” by Matt and Kim.

Like the tropical song that he opened with, Uproot Andy blew in like a fresh breeze. His set was effortlessly diverse, moving seamlessly between reggae, soca, calypso, dubstep, hip-hop, electro and house with tracks like ”Sabali” by Amadou & Mariam and “Took the Night” by Chelley. 77Klash got on the mic to hype the crowd for a few songs, including a reggae edition of Aaliyah’s “Hot Like Fire”.

Click here to view photos of the night by Oliver Correa. No Escape From New York will return to the Studio at Webster Hall on February 10 with special guest Sinden… stay tuned for details.

And if you missed the action last week, catch Uproot Andy and Geko Jones this Thursday at Santos Party House for their monthly Que Bajo?! party. For more information and to see our recommended upcoming events, click here to check out our revamped events page.

Next Wednesday, Trouble & Bass is bringing us the first “No Escape From New York” of the new year. The celebrated monthly party is moving to The Studio at Webster Hall to accommodate No Escape’s growing audience and an impressive roster of hard-hitting acts.

Each month at No Escape, the Trouble & Bass crew, headed by The Captain, Drop the Lime, AC Slater and Star Eyes, will continue to spread their signature “heavy bass” style while bringing us noteworthy local and global acts.

The first event is staying true to its name with Brooklyn-based artists Uproot Andy and Ninjasonik. Originally from Columbia, Andy Gillis (aka Uproot Andy) blends his signature cumbia beats with electro-basslines, resulting in a global style that ranges from laid back tunes to dance floor thumpers. Uproot Andy puts a refreshing spin on the style we’ve come to expect from Trouble & Bass events; and while he might seem like an unusual choice, listen below for a subtle hint of wobble-wobble in his remix of “Manuelita”, a traditional-style Columbian bullerengue song:

Uproot Andy & Geko Jones – “Manuelita” (remix)

After seeing Ninjasonik at the Mercury Lounge last weekend, it would be difficult to capture their infectious energy in a written description. What we can tell you is that Ninjasonik is not for the faint-hearted. Led by Reverend McFly, Telli Gramz, and DJ Teenwolf, Ninjasonik storms the stage with a crew in tow, delivering a performance that includes both original songs and popular beats, not to mention constant crowd-surfing by band- and audience-members alike.

The HiFi Cartel is giving away two pairs of tickets to the show. Enter the contest after the jump or purchase advance tickets here.

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