NOW SPINNING
MUSIC TO DRINK MARTINIS TO
Handsome Boy Modeling School
HIP-HOP | LOUNGE • 2023 • LONDON DRY RECORDS
Handsome Boy Modeling School is Dan the Automator and Prince Paul, and the whole thing started as a joke that got out of hand. The name comes from a ‘Get a Life’ episode with Chris Elliott. Dan plays Nathaniel Merriweather, Paul plays Chest Rockwell, and the debut, 1999's 'So... How's Your Girl?' (Tommy Boy), was a concept album parodying vain, self-absorbed rich guys. It came with a guest list that included DJ Shadow, Del the Funky Homosapien, Mike D and Róisín Murphy.
The 2004 follow-up, 'White People,' brought in RZA, Cat Power, Alex Kapranos and members of Linkin Park. And then, until 2023, nothing.
In 2023 Fords Gin somehow talked them into cutting a new record. That's how we got ‘Music to Drink Martinis To' seven songs, with guests Emi Meyer, J-Live and Justin Warfield of She Wants Revenge. To get the limited edition record, you had to buy a bottle of gin.
We like martinis, we like loungey hip-hop, so we went for it. And we’re glad we did. The whole thing is a perfect, get home on Friday after a long week, mix up a cocktail and kick-back with no plans for the night beyond figuring out what might be for dinner, kind of record. And it comes with a recipe booklet of martini variations from some of the world’s best bartenders.
Granted, this is a little bit of a flex. Copies are getting pricey on Discogs, and only a couple of singles are on Spotify and Apple Music, but if you know where to look (hint) you can hear it digitally.
And you can do it while sipping on our house martini: 2.25 oz Fords Gin, .25 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth, .5 oz Cocchi Americano, 4 dash Regan’s No. 6 Orange Bitters, stirred with a lot of cracked ice into silky and frigid, then strained into a frozen cocktail glass, and garnished with a lemon peel.
If at all possible, buy it at your local record store.