Electric Wire Hustle

Electric Wire Hustle, a left-field R&B outfit from New Zealand, comprises Mara TK on vocals, guitar, turntables, and production, David “Taay Ninh” Wright across multiple instruments, and Myele Manzanza on drums. The trio’s name presumably references a track from Common’s 2002 album Electric Circus. They assembled in 2007 and issued their first recording in 2009—a 12” single on Japan’s Wonderful Noise label—that highlighted their adept fusion of songcraft with abstract sound design. Steve Spacek supplied vocals for the B-side, initiating an ongoing string of partnerships with fellow figures in the R&B underground. By late 2009 the group had placed a self-titled album on their own Every Waking Hour imprint in NZ, drawing support from BBC DJs Gilles Peterson and Benji B. The BBE label subsequently licensed that album for wider release in 2010.