Split Secs

For many on the outside, Los Angeles is an unlikely, yet progressive place to think of when referring to the home of some underground dance acts; however, when you dig a little deeper it’s for obvious reasons why many choose to take root here. For one, the weather is amazing and it’s also home to one of the most burgeoning underground club scenes in the US. If you ask Alexandre Mouracade and Travis Kirschbaum, better known as Split Secs, they might give you an earful with one common theme running through it: The city is just plain fun. A staple in the coveted destination party circle, Mouracade's music tastes span that of a seasoned digger with an attuned ear for techno, disco and acid house while pointing to roots in the iconoclastic funk, no-wave, hip-hop and punk scenes. He hosts Making Shapes, a roaming event that has attracted the likes of Simian Mobile Disco, Matias Aguayo, Maurice Fulton, Ewan Pearson and other notable DJ/Producers sharing the same core sensibilities. With a similar affinity for shaking things up, Kirschbaum, a.k.a. Travis TK Disko (a founding member of the S.F. production collective 40 Thieves) originally cut his teeth DJing in San Francisco in the glory days of the early 90s acid house scene. Over the last 20 years, TK has Djd internationally and shared the decks with some of the world's best DJs at his infamous party The Gun Club in San Francisco and Hot Biscuit in Los Angeles. Naturally, both bonded over their record collections, the rabbit hole created by vinyl culture and especially the friendly propensity to one-up each other. The duo made quick work of a shared approach to make music like their predecessors, driving, palpable and warm but in no way derivative. Their first E.P. I'm Not Losin'/The Klink, distributed through DJ Kaos's label, Jolly Jams, was an instant cult classic and grabbed the attention of everyone from DOC Martin and DJ Hell to Still Going while also landing on various dance charts. Referencing the glory days of Detroit techno, Chicago house, early 90s British imports and even the early psychedelic sounds of the West Coast, the Split Secs sound deviates from the common denominator. Instead, it harks back to a time when one could easily make the connection between soulful roots and the feeling you get only from an analog sound. -Anthem Magazine