Like the inverse of Rogers and Hammerstein, Monte and Hep! — aka Monte Burrows and Hep!Collective, aka Joe McKay and Lorenzon Peluffo — have probably not soundtracked all the most show-stopping moments of your favorite films of the twentieth century. However, I’m sure they’ve appeared in whatever dusted fever dream you’re currently caught in, such is the universal presence of their output.
Or, put another way, their collaboration Samphappalapa (Czsaszka), a word that’s really fun to say aloud once you’ve got it straight in your head, will NOT make you jump up and sing and dance like Fred Astaire or Julie Andrews or whoever. No, Samphappalapa will creep up on you like the fog in that “Treehouse of Horror” episode that turned everybody inside out (but again, without the dancing) and turn you inside out.
What I’m really trying to say is that the golden menace of Samphappalapa is like a subtle exposure to some alien element. You breathe it in and some subtle shift in your brain occurs. You might not even notice it at first. But the more you listen to this tape, the more it infiltrates your being. You hear voices from across dimensions, from across rooms. You’re not sure if the clicks you hear are time rewinding itself for a second. You ARE sure that when the droning tones hover, they hover there to observe you.
How’s that for paranoia?
Do you think Rogers and Hammerstein were ever paranoid of Irving Berlin? I bet they had a file on that guy.
More about: Monte & Hep!
