Photo: Rickett and Sones

Many folks don’t consider little bunny rabbits as a source of musical inspiration, but then again, many aren’t experimental hip-hop/electronic producer Boom Bip. For “Manabozh,” the first single off his latest album Zig Zaj, he channeled a certain furry creature that music fans might not necessarily be aware of. “The Manabozho, which is spelled many different ways, is the Great Hare in Native American mythology,” explains the producer. “He is also the Rabbit God or the Great Trickster. I talked to ["Manabozh" collaborator] Money Mark about this mythological creature and some of the stories surrounding the myth. He seemed to visualize the rabbit’s feelings towards the magician.”

With thick, distorted drums and a chugging rhythm that wouldn’t be out of place on a Battles record, “Manabozh” is one of the producer’s most jarring, ominous tracks, helped by Money Mark’s twisted and pitched vocal screeches. “I wanted to snap [listeners] out of it by easing into a blast of power,” says Boom Bip about the song’s place in the album. “It’s a turning point on the record.  I look at it in a similar fashion to the climax, or the big final scene, in a film.” In addition to Money Mark, Zig Zaj features guest appearances by Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, Empire of the Sun‘s Luke Steele and singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon.

The album is loosely based on the story of a 19th century magician and, like much of the producer’s work, exhibits wide dynamic divergences both between and within tracks. “I look at my albums like films,” says Boom Bip. “I like the dynamic changes from track to track and treat them like scenes.  If a movie had no change of pace, high or low points, would you enjoy it?  Some say I’m all over the place, but it just makes it less predictable and exciting for the listener. Most of my favorite records do the same.” Add this one to that list.

Zig Zaj is out now on Lex Records.