Sled Island & VICE present: Le1f with R. Flex, WASIU and Pyramid Schema

Le1f

Le1f properly arrived when his instantly iconic banger “Wut” made a strong case for song of the summer in 2012. In its visual, he alternates from rapping on the lap of an oiled-up hunk wearing a Pikachu mask to dancing in front of a sculpture from the year 3019. If his talent wasn’t so instantly apparent, the world may not have known what to do with him.

But the rapper born Khalif Diouf had been building up the experimental New York club scene where his peers included Mykki Blanco, Arca and, for better or worse, Azealia Banks. Unbeknownst to the world, he had been priming us for what was about to come -- his debut mixtape Dark York.

Fast forward past a Letterman performance with Devonte Hynes and we arrive at 2015’s debut album Riot Boi on XL and Terrible Records. Here Le1f levelled up severely into one of the most transgressive and enrapturing artists of electronic music’s present, produced with fellow innovators like Sophie, Junglepussy and Lunice. The record flits between buoyant joy, lament and unfiltered rage at a pace that dares the listener to blink and miss a single moment.

Skip ahead once more and Le1f’s last release is a six-song EP that draws from trap and bounce music, peeking in on an artist once again on his way to a big reveal. Critical acclaim and broken boundaries are behind him and it’s once again time to wonder what’s next.

R. Flex
R. Flex’s 2018 debut EP In & Out put them on the map by marrying smooth electronic R&B with candid and up-front lyrical content. R. Flex tells stories of voyeurism, cheating hearts, and celebrations of queer culture through mesmerizing beats and a voice as plush as velvet.

WASIU
His beats are grimy, yet melodic, his lyrics raunchy at times, yet smooth and intelligent—case in point, “Cigarettes & Poutine.” So far, 2019 has proven to be a big year for WASIU, starting with a breakthrough hit in a Turkish cell phone commercial and a video beef with Calvin Harris. What could possibly be next?

Pyramid Schema
Disco, house, R&B and all things boogie come to head when Pyramid Schema get behind the decks. The duo comprised of ra/sol and Anput began collaborating in 2017 at a variety of a femme-forward countercultural dance parties, consistently weaponizing the transcendent power of club music to reimagine dystopia as paradise.

What A Time w/ Teddy Celebration & Friends
WHAT A TIME is your weekend on a humpday. Join DJ Teddy Celebration and friends for a dance party in the Commonwealth basement that takes you out of your routine and into the ratchet.