Cong Josie and the neon debauchery of "Margarita" (Official Video)

 

"what's in a name? Margarita...!"

"Margarita" glows in another world. The dirty smashed synth thumps recall Frankie Goes To Hollywood and the droning ascending synths, Journey. The dramatic auteur of all this is Cong Josie, the moniker, alter-ego / anagram of Nic Oogies (Melbourne based underground shape shifters NO ZU). Oogies gleefully mines 80's art punk, 70 proto punk and club sounds resulting in a sound that is as campy as it is thoroughly captivating. "Margarita" could grace a version of "Stranger Things" or some other worldly Netflix-ian binger. The equal measures of psychedelia, glam and sardonic pop tones bathed in 80's new wave and populous rock tones made me think of an amalgam of artist like Gleaming Spires, Human Sexual Response, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Cramps and Richard Hell and the Voidoids.

I was going to take a swing at describing the awesome accompanying video but one needs to know when to step back. I could not possibly write a more enlightened piece than what was included in the press notes (between brackets). 

[Hayden Summerville's video for ‘Margarita’ sends us spiralling into Cong’s nightly fever dreams - and it is one unnerving place. If the 'Persephone’ video set the scene for Cong’s hallucinatory domestic world, ‘Margarita’ rides a steel-horse directly into the darker corners of his subconscious. He is haunted relentlessly by existential dread, visions of himself as an occultist maniac and the ghostly presence of his band, The Crimes. We see his band as floating bee-hived heads, as bedazzled-suit sleezers playing sax on motorbikes or as menacing figures at the foot of his bed. There appears to be no waking up from this dream/nightmare and Cong eventually catches on - even the bed is out for his blood! With a wink and a (lunatic) grin, the absurdist humour spattered over the whole affair only heightens the horror of this internal Hades.]

Check it out. If you like artists that build their own sonic universes then you will not be disappointed. A debut Cong Josie album is set for this October, heaven and hell willing.  

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://www.facebook.com/congjosie


Cong Josie is the hedonistic alter-ego, (and anagram) of Nic Oogjes, best known as the bandleader of heat beat ensemble NO ZU. Nicolaas says inhabiting the Cong character allows him to plunge the depths of his psyche and drag forth what he finds there - beyond the real and into hyper-reality. The distance between Nicolaas' 'true-self' and Cong oscillates wildly between stark truth and absolute fiction. A character of mystery and contradiction, he both inhabits the archetype of 'the singer'; peacocking masculinity, while simultaneously tearing his own sense of what it means to be masculine apart.

Nicolaas began NO ZU in 2007 as a solo project which eventually expanded it into a 10-piece live extravaganza - a herculean feat considering his only substantial training is in the visual arts, not in music. He credits their success to surrounding himself with a force of musicians much more talented than himself. NO ZU have performed their distinctly antipodean 'Heat Beat' body-music all over the world including Russia, Mexico, Europe, the US and New Zealand. In Australia they have developed a top-tier level of respect as a result of their all-in, energetic and ground-breaking performances at venues, clubs and at just about any music festival worth its salt. Including; Golden Plains, WOMAD, Falls Festival, Sugarmountain and most recently Something Unlimited. Their releases have allowed the good word of Heat Beat to permeate throughout the world and they include 3X EP's ('Graffiti EP' in 2009, 'New Age EP' in 2010, 'Medusa Music' in 2014), 2X LP's ('Life' in 2012 and 'Afterlife' in 2016) and 2X 12"s ('Hi-Gloss' in 2015), 'Body2Body2Body' in 2017). The inclusion of their wild set-closer 'Raw Vision' on Dan Whitford's (Cut Copy) exposé of Melbourne weird-dance in 2016 and a feature in the accompanying documentary only cemented their unique place in the music world in the eyes of many. Their no-wave and post-punk core-influences have led them to collaborations with their heroes including Sal Principato of Liquid Liquid (NYC), Johnny Sender of Konk (NYC), A Certain Ratio (Manchester) and two tours with ESG (NYC).

While Cong Josie is ostensibly a solo project, Nicolaas has enlisted talented friends to contribute both to the recording and production of the album and as a live band. Cayn Borthwick (or, Cong Josie non-de plume, Johnny Cayn) also from NO ZU provides the most significant contributions performing the majority of the tonal instrumentation (Nicolaas programs the rhythms and some basslines) and support. Kate Bishop, Margarita Strateas, Cassandra Kiely (CJ band name, Cassandra Capri) of Pearls fame and Simone Page-Jones (Mona Rêves), the triple-threat star of the Dark MoFo school of alt cabaret performers all perform backing vocals. Finally, Simone Galassi (Italy) also contributed from afar to add sharp, reverb-drenched, and almost-crying guitar on two tracks.

Cong Josie released his debut single ‘Leather Whip’ on Melbourne underground imprint It Records in October 2020, with his debut solo album to follow in October 2021.

The future throbs bright and shiny for Cong Josie and his band.

Cong Josie, singer songwriter, artist, musician, divergent pop, art punk, new wave tones, hedonistic alter-ego, Nic Oogjes, NO ZU, solo project, "Margarita", glam pop, hyper realistic pop,