- Lush progressive house bolstered by Foxman's expressive voice.
- One thing Kim Ann Foxman has always had is her sweet and airy soprano, one that could easily be compared to that of R&B's queen of the style, Janet Jackson. That's likely why fellow New York-based artist Lauren Flax partnered with her in 2014 to cover Jackson's 1986 song, "Pleasure Principle." Her voice can fit into the angular corners of acid, growl sexily over electro and that when layered over progressive house, swirls like bright plasma in a night sky.
Her latest EP, We Are Rhythm, comes at a difficult time for Foxman. On April 6th, the openly queer musician posted a detailed account of how her and her girlfriend Cora were attacked in Berlin while holding hands, complete with a photo of Cora's bloodied cheek. Although the EP was recorded before, the timing of its release serves as a prescient reminder of the transportive qualities of Foxman's work as a vocalist and producer, as well as the undying resilience of queer artists. Without intending to, We Are Rhythm tells a defiant story of overcoming, powered with the fantastical and unifying energy of trance, breakbeat and progressive house.
The title track spins in and out of sci-fi moments—like a twinkly intro that sounds like the tenser moments of the soundtrack for the comedy drama The Curse—while spotlighting Foxman's vocal power, as she cries over rubber band synths, "can you feel it?" Spray's excellent remix of the song, which adds a slinky bassline and hoover sounds, would fit neatly into the buoyant, progressive house haven of Roza Terenzi's Step Ball Chain label. The song recalls Ridgewood club Nowadays at its best—when sweat pearls over writhing bodies, the floorboards vibrate and the sun begins to peek through the high opaque windows.
On "Dance Don't Stop!" the energy continues to steadily heave, as Foxman brings her voice to a light soprano, "on and on and on," occasionally switching to a cute, slightly distorted voice of a video game command: "Dance!" The groove is sultry, starry-eyed and blissful—an analgesic to bring together ravers of all creeds.
Tracklist01. We Are Rhythm
02. Dance Don't Stop
03. We Are Rhythm (Spray Remix)