Cherry-Picked

It’s rare I find an artist whose music I have saved absolutely all of, but… enter Bisqwik, the sample-happy, lo-fi production wizard. I became obsessed with his music during a pre-Covid midterm study spree, when I was bumping lo-fi and tapped out of my trance when I suddenly realized I was listening to the lyrics of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.” It was, in fact, “Cucumber Water.” I immediately queued the rest of Bisqwik’s music. It’s not just any ol’ lo-fi: Biskwiq samples pop-rap classics (Drake’s “Over,” Chance’s “Acid Rain,” and Gucci Mane’s “My Chain”) and tosses in Will Ferrell-era comedic soundbites (e.g., Stepbrothers boat-wrecking and The Other Guys cucumber water-drinking). His originals, featuring artists like Healy and Atwood, lean higher-fi, but remain xylophonically plunky and upbeat. Genre-wise, his music falls into the creamy crispy clean electronic production bucket in my ears, with trickly runs and pastel soundscapes. Think, funfetti. Better yet, think boozy brunch, just like his live set aesthetic. Chill, but not calm. Sounds like 10 am or 7 pm anywhere. His music became my go-to for studying without feeling completely bored–he has no idea how much biochem review he soundtracked. 

I think the most interesting part of Bisqwik’s music is the heavy contrast between the grit and grime of any given sample with the brightness/lightness of its reimagination. I love when a remix shouldn’t make sense, but somehow does. “A First Date” might be his ultimate masterpiece, with ultra-vintage clips from the iconic 1949 short “Dating Do’s and Don’ts” slotted between three of Kendrick’s best–”DNA,” “Swimming Pools,” and “Poetic Justice”–to create yet a third layer of intrigue. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the soundbooth and hear Bisquik find, name, and experiment with his tapestry of influences–I have yet to hear anything remotely similar to this mixture of textures, eras, and sounds. Like a mixed-media collage, almost, with his production as the hodge podge holding each snipping together. Bisqwik’s most-streamed remix is his revisit of Kudsaibeats’ “The Girl I Haven’t Met Yet” with Post Malone’s “I Fall Apart” strewn across it. The remix doesn’t just work sound-wise – the melancholy of the original instrumental meets Posty’s heartbreak, somewhere between the grief of losing someone you loved and the grief of not knowing who you’ll love again. But, as usual, Bisqwik’s upbeat production makes for an overall hopeful feel. 

So, if you’re in the mood for late 2000’s to mid 2010’s pop-rap nostalgia repackaged with a high-qual, lo-fi feel, then Bisqwik is for you. If truer pop is more your speed, his listeners would agree – he garnered his most total streams from the beachy 2018 Forrest. collab “Your Soul,” thanks to Forrest’s ever-growing audience and acclaim, both solo and as one half of Surfaces. I remain partial to Bisqwik’s samples and re-imaginations of old favorites, so much so that I stacked each remix with its companion sample(s), locked and loaded for many an hour spent in my beloved Hesburgh library. 

Bisqwik stopped releasing music in 2020, but the artist behind the project has more recently been releasing music under the alias “tsubi club.” tsubi’s debut “burbank house” has racked up over 20 million streams since its 2021 release. I like it, but I have to admit, I’ll always want more lo-fi takes on old bops. Might I suggest, Tay-K’s “The Race” and… I dunno… a little something from Talladega Nights? Just spitballing here…