Darling Nicky

These are my friends: Gold, iGreen, Blue, and Red Che – otherwise known as The Five One. I met them last summer through my friend Kendra. She said her cousin’s band was playing Afropunk at BAM in Brooklyn. They came on just before Murs, a California underground rapper, and I was pleasantly surprised that they were really good.

They’re from Virginia, and have a sound akin to N.E.R.D. but defintely make it their own. They touch on everyday topics like work, relationships, interactions with authority, etc. They can have a nice melodic, SoCal vibe and then switch it up to raggae or even punk rock. When I saw them at Afropunk, I noticed that they switched instruments around depending on the song, and thought it was real cool that each member can play more than one instrument. They have a site called Deuce Day World where they interact with friends and fans as their music can be heard, and sometimes downloaded, on that site.

In 2009, the Five One is creating 51 remixes. They will release these remixes every Thursday (Deuce Day). This week they have remixed Lykke Li’s “Little Bit”. I love how these guys have such eclectic (and sometimes eccentric (Red likes Gogol Bordello) tastes in music to even reach from the international music scene (Lykke Li is Swedish) and become inspired. One mix from last year was a take on Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown”. iGreen waxed poetic about the financial meltdown and credit crunch on Wall Street and other American businesses, and why the government can’t bail out the average citizen.

Not only will you find their music on Deuce Day World, but you’ll also find somethings that the members of the band find interesting as well as members of the site. It’s hugely interactive and membership grows everyday. Being that the members of the band identify themselves with colors, of course, new members to the site must pick a color. Mine is pruple. What’s yours?