When Montreal beatsmith Lunice and Glaswegian producer Hudson Mohawke convened in a tiny studio in London last year, they weren’t expecting to emerge with a release. The idea was simply to get together and make some straightforward club bangers—no more, no less. But after a few whiskey-fueled nights, it quickly became apparent that they might have created a little something worth sharing.
Dubbing themselves TNGHT (the vowels were dropped when more than one friend rebuked the name as too corny), the pair released an eponymous debut EP this past July, and were immediately heralded as one of the more promising hip-hop production teams in recent years. They instantly became the front-runners in a new generation of young producers—a generation with little regard for genre and a penchant for high-energy, trap-inflected, bass-laden tunes.
The success of this pairing isn’t too surprising, considering the respective achievements of its constituents. Lunice boasts three successful EPs; numerous remixes for high-profile labels like Mad Decent, Young Turks and XL Recordings; and collaborations with rising stars Azealia Banks and Angel Haze. Mohawke’s celebrated releases on U.K. electronic-music vanguard Warp and recent production credits on G.O.O.D. Music’s hit comp, Cruel Summer, have marked his steady rise since his first beat-tape release in 2006. Both maintain that their solo careers remain at the forefront, but given the breakout success that resulted from just a few days of teamwork, we’d reckon there’s much more to come from TNGHT.—Kristen Zwicker