It’s extremely difficult to idolize your inspirations while trying to become the very type of person you’d typically look up to. Very few artists are able to find the line and tread it carefully without tiptoeing into kitsch or copycat territory. 909 Til Infinity seems to have found that line early on.
The duo, comprised of Manik and Option4, recently put out their latest banger via Nurvous Records and, much like their love affair for everything 90’s from vintage NBA jerseys to arcade games, the track is a flourishing New Beat by way of hip-house anthem. The influences from acts like Technotronic and Snap! are crucial to understanding where their new single, “Get Up,” comes from; at a time where music, especially dance music, is at its most referential, the impulse to borrow from its diverse history is at its highest peak. But whereas many producers are simply overlaying new instrumentals on top of existing vocals and bass lines, 909 Til Infinity is injecting class into their work. Yes – at its most simplest, it’s house. It’s danceable. It will have ravers losing their minds in packed, sweaty clubs all summer. But much like Technotronic, who similarly looked to their idols – specifically in the Hi-NRG and Detroit scene – for their bag of tricks, Option4 and Manik are spinning their own legacy off their influences without simply being defined by them. Carrying the torch requires a certain balance of putting yourself in the music as well as giving faithful credit to those who came before; 909 Til Infinity is a project which embraces this.
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