Back in July 2024, essayist and electronic musician Drew Daniel had a dream about a song—a super crunched out jam in 5/4 time at 212 beats per minute. It was the kind of song that defined a whole new genre, called "Hit 'Em."
Daniel posted on Twitter about his dream. That post has since received more than seven million views—and now, an entire compilation of artists trying to figure what the fuck a "hit 'em" song in 5/4 time at 212bpm could possibly sound like.
Now Tabula Rasa Record Company has compiled a bunch of those songs, curating a new 27-song compilation of "Hit 'Em" interpretations titled, "Thank You, Dream Girl," with all the proceeds going towards the Musicians Foundation.
As the record company explains on Bandcamp:
Inhabiting a liminal space between viral joke and conceptual provocation while offering a snapshot of how a formal challenge can trigger creativity from the very online, hit em embodies the tension between artistry and the pressures of algorithm-driven visibility, turning a tweet's open-ended template into a fully realized sound and scene, with distinct microgenres (shared touch points include drill n bass IDM, frenetic breakcore, and hardcore rave, alongside melodic nods to hyperpop, wave, trip-hop and jazz) and its own accelerated discourse (see: "should half-time beats technically at 212 beats-per-minute count as hit em?").
It's a weird compilation, sure, but it's a fun and fascinating musical challenge. 5/4 time is uncommon, to say the least, and usually pretty difficult to wrap your head around—especially at a speed that fast. It makes for an inherently jerky groove, with a beat-blasting tempo that could very easily overwhelm. But that's sort of the fun of it. How do you make something that absurd that actually sounds kinda cool?
I think at least 27 people have figured out the trick.
Thank You, Dream Girl [Tabula Rasa Record Company]
This Compilation Is a Dream [Andy Cush / Hearing Things]
Previously:
• Spotify's new royalty payment update hurts indie musicians even more than before
• Band People: the artistry and economics of supporting musicians
• 1,000 musicians gather to play Rage Against the Machine hit
