Artists who change their names mid-career often confuse me, but I can make exceptions. Santi White, whose eponymous debut solo album came out in 2008 under the name Santogold, is a bit of a musical genius, I think.She’s now better known as Santigold.
What a debut it is. She’d been part of the millennial neo- punk scene in America, a huge fan of Bad Brains and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but here, White cleverly mixed such influences with hip hop, reggae and soul. She’s probably got most in common with the otherworldly trio, Bjork, Leila and Tricky, who pull new, strange sounds from eclectic sources. “I’m here for myself, I do know you, I don’t need no-one else” , she defiantly purrs on L.E.S. Artistes.
You can hear Grace Jones, MIA , new wave, avant pop and soul all over this album. This is way before artists fused it all together, like the global pick ‘n’ mix ethos of artists like Bicep or Big Joanie do nowadays. She was way ahead of the curve.
Hit The North 