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[PARTY] Radarada sounds suspiciously like “yadda yadda” and basically means the same thing. But don’t let the name fool you—the band does more than just run off at the mouth.

At its core, Radarada is about fun and chemistry. An amalgam of funk and jazz with a lounge-like undercurrent and an understated hip-hop finish, the local six-piece sounds unlike anything else happening right now in Buffalo, gaining them a decent-sized following. Formed from a rhythm section (Bryan Segarra on drums and bassist Colin Brydalski) that originated in a jazz band at St. Joe’s prep some years prior, Radarada took shape when a pair of local emcees—Wza (also of Equality, Knowledge and Light) and Tommy Too—joined up to push the sound in a decidedly hip hop direction. The tone is tempered by the feminine touch of classically trained pianist/violinist/vocalist, Littlecake and guitar licks a la new member Jared Tinkham.

The results are often hilarious, sometimes serious, and always funky. Sample-wizard Wza took a few minutes to answer some questions following an exhausting Porchfest weekend, chatting about what makes Radarada tick in advance of an upcoming Public Presents gig at Nietzsche’s on Thursday, May 14 along with ZSD and Vitamin D. Thanks to our friends at The Good Neighborhood, those who bring a musical instrument to be donated to Music is Art may enter free of admission.

What brought Radarada together?

I was chillin’ at Mr. Goodbar late one night, and this dude recognized me from one of my Youtube videos—very cool, because that hardly ever happens. He was trying to start a jazz/hip hop band with a friend and said I should stop by. I brought my sampler over a few days later and we started jamming and spittin’ raps. Over time, with different people stopping by and adding whatever instrument or vocals, we eventually formed a band out of what was working best and who seemed serious about taking it further.

Is Radarada making fun of what hip-hop has become?

It’s more about being free with who you are and how you express yourself whether through music, or really just how you live your life…because, swear to god,  just living life on a daily basis is an art form. We definitely aren’t trying to make fun of anything or sound like anything. So, I would say it’s more about just remembering to have fun.

You guys don’t play outside of Buffalo at this time—are you content to keep Radarada a local sensation?

We definitely want to blow up and have big houses in warm sunny places…but we also love Buffalo and are happy living here. Right now, we’re just playing out as much as possible and working on new material.

How do you guys write? Is it improvisational?

It’s different every time. Sometimes I’ll be playing a chop on my sampler and everybody perks up and we look at each other like “yoooo” and we start writing a song around it.  Sometimes Colin will be playing the bass and the same thing happens, or maybe someone comes up with a funny couple lines that make us all laugh, so we start writing a song around those words.

Would you say there are particular artists or albums that are especially influential to the band’s sound?

We all listen to drastically different music. I listen to a lot of EDM Trap music; Tommy Too listens to dudes like Common and De la Soul;  Littlecake is classically trained and listens to all sorts; Bryan also listens to a wide variety and always has some new shit to show you when you see him. Colin loves jazz. Our freshly minted guitarist, Jared, listens to a lot of rock and I’m pretty sure he’s played in some metal bands, but also likes jazz… huge mix.