Brassy

Muffin Spencer, Jon Spencer's sister and a guitarist who also rapped as an amateur while projecting a self-absorbed persona, originated Brassy. Living as an expatriate in London, she formed the lineup by joining guitarist Stefan Gordon, bassist Karen Frost, and drummer Johnny Barrington, known as DJ Swett during his turntable performances. The group debuted its bold dance-punk approach through singles issued across 1996 and 1997. Wiiija signed the band by 1999, prompting the Bonus Beats double-7" EP whose underground hit single was titled "I Can't Wait."

Club tours supported the arrival of the debut full-length Got It Made, which began circulating awareness of the quartet's mix of punk aesthetics, funky beats, and cheeky humor. Observers likened the sound to the Plasmatics or perceived traces of Biz Markie, yet all concurred that Muffin possessed equivalent moxie to her blues-exploding brother. The standout track "Play Some D" appeared as a single that received numerous remixes before a re-release three years later once Motorola featured it in a worldwide advertising campaign. That prominent placement directly preceded Brassy's return to recordings with the August 2003 release of second album Gettin Wise. The record reduced prior dance elements and softened punk energy in favor of stronger hip-hop leanings alongside rocking yet oddly blank-sounding guitars.