Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week features alt-country by Erin Zindle, hip-hop electronica by Gvmmy, rap by BigPlanet, and dance mixes by BPasta and Ayla.

Erin Zindle and Carolyn Striho, "The Bridge"
Erin Zindle and The Ragbirds, "Refresh My Memory"
Americana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Erin Zindle is aligned with the moon and star (singular) this year. The Ann Arbor artist is releasing singles for every 2023 full moon as well as for the recent summer solstice. The first moon tune is "The Bridge," written with longtime Detroit creative Carolyn Striho, and the song that came out when the sun stayed out the longest is "Refresh My Memory," co-attributed to Zindle's band, The Ragbirds. Where "The Bridge" is primarily a fiddle-piano ballad, "Refresh My Memory" has more of a country-radio flavor, with its downtempo backbeat and punchy hooks. 

Gvmmy featuring Tahj Keeton, "Gvmmy Is an Alien"
Gvmmy, "Panama"
Community High School student and Ypsi's own Gvmmy makes regular appearances here because they're a prolific and wildly talented producer and rapper. "Gvmmy Is an Alien," made with Atlanta rapper Tahj Keeton, has the relentless beat and lyrical sass of Detroit ghettotech, whereas "Panama" leans more into trap-based hip-hop.

BigPlanet, It's a Small World
BigPlanet, Independent Love
I don't know much about rapper BigPlanet but I think he's based in Washtenaw County. And like Gvmmy, he has some association with Ann Arbor's Neutral Zone, might be in high school, is mega-prolific, and is super-talented. Kids these days! He released two albums, an EP, and some singles in 2022, and he already has two records out in 2023. It's a Small World has a song called "Le D," which features singer-songwriter Evan Haywood under his rap handle, Le Dawg.

BPasta, Fruits of Our Labor, Mix 004
Immaculate Conception's mix series focusing on women and gender-nonconforming DJs continues apace with another banger, this time by recent University of Michigan grad BPasta, who is also a MEMCO alum. The music bounces between techno, house, ambient, hip-hop, and pop.

Ayla, Exposure Mix 056
The Michigan Electronic Music Collective—MEMCO—continues to highlight talented UMich student DJs with its Exposure mixes, this time with Ayla. This is a joyous 45 minutes of uptempo techno, house, and funk.

Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.