Australian-bred, Las Vegas-based phonk producer/DJ and violinist THMPSN is a man of many talents. First starting as a classically trained, internationally-touring musician (playing in orchestras at Dvorak Hall in Prague, Rheingoldhalle in Mannheim, opening the Australian embassy in Berlin, as well lecturing at the French Conservatory of Music), THMPSN then moved to the United States and grew notoriety as a viral content creator. After building the YouTube channels of fitness legends Bradley Martyn and Calum Von Moger (while using their videos to promote his house bangers) and increasing his own fame with viral violin clips, THMPSN is now focusing on his other passions – into new genres and new endeavors.
THMPSN unveils the first single of this new era, “Nicole Aniston,” an official collaboration with Memphis hip-hop legend Kingpin Skinny Pimp, who has become the heaviest sampled artist in the entire phonk genre. Named after the adult film star (who also recorded vocals on the track), “Nicole Aniston” is a drift phonk banger that combines the genre’s signature aesthetic with elegant string arrangements.
“Nicole Aniston” kicks off with haunting piano arpeggios and deep bass tones underlying a spoken passage from Aniston talking about the healing power of reiki. The track then drops into its central phonk beat – a cacophony of trunk-rattling kick-drum patterns, spacious snare hits, and bursts of stuttering hi-hats driving over Kingpin Skinny Pimp’s smooth rap verse.
The track then builds to its cinematic climax, an emotional medley of thumping beats and swirling, lush violin lines.
The track release coincides with an official music video self-directed by THMPSN, who flexes his filmmaking chops on a propulsive, high-energy montage. Kicking off with a shot of THMPSN in a reiki session with Nicole Aniston, the music video then transitions to provocative images of women working on cars spliced with high-speed, aerial shots of drift car racing – an appropriate combination of visuals that emblematize the drift phonk vibe of the track.
The video is also emblematic of THMPSN himself, who, in addition to his loves of electronic music, violin, fitness, and animals, has immersed himself into the drift car world as an amateur driver – yet another addition to the THMPSN lore, a layer that solidifies him as a one-of-a-kind individual.
