Today, Girl Talk – aka Pittsburgh-based producer Gregg Gillis – announces a fall/winter 2022 North American tour. Tickets are on sale now. This announcement follows the release of Full Court Press, Girl Talk’s “timeless” (HYPEBEAST) collaborative album with Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T and Smoke DZA, released this past spring on Asylum/Taylor Gang. Gillis rose to prominence off his meticulous construction of genre-smashing sample-based music, and these breakneck-paced party jams are championed in his euphoric live shows. Girl Talk’s forthcoming tour will see him performing in Las Vegas, Houston, Sacramento and more, all cities he did not play on the spring 2022 tour. Full dates are listed below.
In conjunction with the tour announcement, Girl Talk releases a remix of Full Court Press’ “Ain’t No Fun,” which blends the vocals with elements of Harry Styles’ hit “As It Was.” Additionally, he’s released an acapella version of Full Court Press as a free download. This is an opportunity for other producers or music enthusiasts to be able to use the vocals from the album in their own remixes or DJ sets.
With each Girl Talk album, from his breakout Night Ripper (2006) to Feed The Animals (2008) and All Day(2010), Gillis’ work has become increasingly detailed and complex. The last several years have seen Gillis focusing on production work for some of his favorite rap artists, including Wiz Khalifa, T-Pain, Tory Lanez, Young Nudy, Bas, Cozz, Erick The Architect (from Flatbush Zombies), Smoke DZA, Don Q, and Freeway. This year’s Full Court Press was a culmination of friendships going back ten-plus years and a “unique intersection of all of our work,” says Gillis.
Girl Talk Tour Dates Fri. Sep. 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl Fri. Sep. 23 – Richmond, VA @ The National Sun. Sep. 25 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival Thu. Nov. 3 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! Fri. Nov. 4 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall Sat. Nov. 5 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue Thu. Nov. 10 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom Fri. Nov. 11- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Thu. Nov. 17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Fri. Nov. 18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore Sat. Nov. 19 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades Fri. Dec. 9 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live Sat. Dec. 10 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Thu. Dec. 15 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Fri. Dec. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre Sat. Dec. 17 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
Today, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, and Girl Talk present new single, “How The Story Goes,” from their forthcoming collaborative album, Full Court Press, out April 8th on Asylum/Taylor Gang. The album includes various combinations of the artists working together, and, following lead single, “Put You On,” today’s track features the trio of Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. and Girl Talk. Built around a hazy sample, Khalifa and Big K.R.I.T. trade verses over Girl Talk’s (aka Gregg Gillis) production, complete with glimmering keys, an infectious bassline and a subtle backbeat. “Wiz recorded his verse first. I thought the beat was a slightly different vibe than normal for him, but once he got in the booth, it felt like a natural fit. K.R.I.T came in and built the rest of the song around that verse. He was able to capture the feel of the sample and take it somewhere new,” says Gillis. “This turned into one of the songs that I ended up going back to the most.”
Full Court Press is a culmination of friendships going back ten-plus years and a “unique intersection of all of our work,” says Gillis. From Wiz’s melodic sensibility to K.R.I.T.’s rhythmically tight delivery to DZA’s colorful wordplay, all of the artist’s distinct styles play off of each other. On Girl Talk’s first album since 2010’s All Day, his production keeps the project diverse, each song with its own individual style and mood, while still working as a cohesive body of work. The sample selection and arrangements highlight each of the artists’ most entertaining and compelling characteristics.
From years of expertise at finding unlikely pairs in mashup work, Gillis has an uncanny ability at finding samples that feel like a natural fit for his collaborators. “With any particular sample or beat, I usually have a strong idea of what I’d like to do with it. But when working with other people, it might go somewhere else completely. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to shake what I originally had in mind. I think that’s partially because I spent so many years working alone, in complete control of every detail. It’s both exciting and challenging to be pushed creatively, and in the best situations, you find yourself enjoying someone else’s ideas more than what you originally had planned.”
Later this month, Girl Talk kicks off his first tour in over nine years, with most dates completely sold-out. A full list of tour dates can be found below. Watch the Video for “Put You On”
Full Court Press Tracklist 1. Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA, Girl Talk – Mind Blown 2. Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Girl Talk – Put You On 3. Smoke DZA, Girl Talk – Season 4. Big K.R.I.T., Wiz Khalifa, Girl Talk – How The Story Goes 5. Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA, Big K.R.I.T., Girl Talk – No Singles 6. Wiz Khalifa, Girl Talk – Ready For Love 7. Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Girl Talk – Revenge Of The Cool 8. Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Girl Talk – Ain’t No Fun 9. Big K.R.I.T., Girl Talk – Fly The Coop 10. Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Girl Talk – Everyday ft. Curren$y
Girl Talk Tour Dates: Thu. Mar. 31 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues^ *SOLD OUT* Fri. Apr. 1 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom ^ *SOLD OUT* Sat. Apr. 2 – Boston, MA @ Royale^ *SOLD OUT* Mon. Apr. 4 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre^ Tue. Apr. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Metro^ *SOLD OUT* Wed. Apr. 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave^ *SOLD OUT* Fri. Apr. 8 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant^ Sat. Apr. 9 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman^ Mon. Apr. 11 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre^ *SOLD OUT* Tue. Apr. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot^ Thu. Apr. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom^ Fri. Apr. 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom^ *SOLD OUT* Sat. Apr. 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *SOLD OUT* Mon. Apr. 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent^ *SOLD OUT* Tue. Apr. 19 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues^ *SOLD OUT* Wed. Apr. 20 – Phoenix AZ @ The Van Buren^ Fri. Apr. 22 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater^ *SOLD OUT* Sat. Apr. 23 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Ballroom^ *SOLD OUT* Mon. Apr. 25 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel^ *SOLD OUT* Tue. Apr. 26 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^ *SOLD OUT* Thu. Apr. 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel^ *SOLD OUT* Fri. Apri. 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Sat. Apr. 30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE^ *SOLD OUT*
Wiz Khalifa Tour Dates: Fri. Apr. 15 – Northampton, MA @ Carniroll Festival, The Roll Up at Three County County Fairgrounds Mon. Apr. 18 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre Sat. Apr. 23 – Washington DC @ National Cannabis Festival Sat. Apr. 30 – San Bernardino, CA @ Smokers Club Festival, Glen Helen Amphitheater Sat. May 14 – Turlock, CA @ Dazed On The Green – Stanislaus County Fairgrounds
Big K.R.I.T. Tour Dates: Thu. Apr. 21 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre* Fri. Apr. 22 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore* Sat. Apr. 23 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa* Sun. Apr. 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)* Tue. Apr. 26 – Boston, MA @ Royale* Thu. Apr. 28 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre* Sat. Apr. 30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore* Mon. May 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom & Tavern* Wed. May 4 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre* Fri. May 6 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues* Sat. May 7 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave II* Sun. May 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café* Tue. May 10 – Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom* Fri. May 13 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater* Sat. May 14 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox* Tue. May 17 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall – Music Hall* Thu. May 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater* Fri. May 20 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box* Sat. May 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ 24 Oxford* Sun. May 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom* Tue. May 24 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace* Thu. May 26 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s* Fri. May 27 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live* Sat. May 28 – Jackson, MS @ JXN Festival* Sun. May 29 – Arlington, TX @ So What!? Festival* Wed. Jun. 1 – Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen* Thu. Jun. 2 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City* Sat. Jun. 4 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom* Sun. Jun. 5 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl* Tue. Jun. 7 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues* Fri. Jun. 10 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle*
* w/ ELHAE and PRICE
Keep your mind open.
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