5 Minutes with… KRONO
KRONO (AKA brothers Mickael and David Couderc) are building up a buzz with their sun drenched dance tunes. Inspired to start making music after attending Daft Punk’s Alive show in 2007, their tracks boast a propulsive French house influence while adding their own trippy, chillwave-esque twist. Having remixed tracks by Bruno Mars and Ellie Goulding and their recent songs (including their new single, ‘Redlight feat. Vanjess’) taking on a more ambient quality compared to their harder edged debut album ‘Miami Retrograde’, we caught up with the production duo to talk about their influences and artistic evolution.
Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?
If we define our sound is something that needs to constantly surprise and give emotions to people. Our music is not formatted into something precise, it remains to electronic music, house music tends.
What are the 5 albums and artists that have influenced you the most?
Mickael:
– Muse / / Absolution
– Justice / / Cross
– Massive Attack / / All albums
– Daft Punk / / Discovery
– David Vendetta / / Rendez Vous
David :
– Daft Punk / / Discovery
– Eminem // Eminem Show
– Linkin Park // Meterora
– Kyo // 300 Lesions
– OutKast // The love Below
What other artists (electronic and non-electronic) do you really like at the moment and why?
I think Flume is our great revelation this year. His music is beautiful, deep and intellectual. We also loved Freaky Little Things with their song ‘Nightfall’!
What are some of the key pieces of gear you use to write your tracks?
We have a very special way to write our music, our key job is to find the melodies before everything else. To do this we listen to the base of the music, Chopin, Beethoven. We use all the things that can transcribe an emotion.
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
All concerts are unique and we always select the places where we want to play, never to deceive the public, because it is the public who gives us love. But the last party we did in Paris, “Welc’Home” was magical, especially when people singing and dancing from beginning to end, it’s so good.
What’s the worst gig you have ever done and why?
The worst stage is the one where you empty the room in a few minutes and people do not like your music. Fortunately, we have not had worse gigs! We pay attention to it!
What are your thoughts on the following genres:
Classical:
The essence of music. Our main inspiration. Without classical music, modern music should not exist.
Blues:
We never listen, if Norah Jones will be in this style, we love it.
Soul:
Masters of dance music!
Dubstep:
Skrillex is Dubstep, and we love his incredible energy! He makes something completely inaccessible and transforms it into something melodic and accessible!
Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects, DJ mixes or collaborations in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
We release our next single with the title ‘Redlight feat. Vanjess’ This title will be in the same way as Flume, or Moby, so that more ambient to house music.
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
Michael: I’m a dreamer, so it would be a trade for not being in our frightening reality: a poker player maybe.
David: I like to create and invent, so a trade in art, chef, pro chess player, designer.
You’ve remixed tracks by well-known artists like Example and Calvin Harris. Are you interested in gaining commercial success?
No, we are not necessarily attracted by the commercial success, it just if the music should sound like it’s done, sometimes it’s possible and others not!
Would you say that your new single ‘Redlight’ is a step forward from your previous tracks?
Yes, it is an evolution. We wanted to share something different with our audience, something that is closer to ambient chill music that electro.
Is there anything you can tell us about your new album and what people can expect from it?
Yes, two big projects will be born in the coming years. We’ll start an EP with Bel Run, ‘Redlight’ and some other surprises for 2014.Then our album will be released in 2014 or 2015.
Watch ‘Redlight’ ft. VanJess below:
Burial – Rival Dealer (Hyperdub)
Since his Mercury Music Prize nominated album ‘Untrue’ in 2008, Burial (AKA Will Bevan) has been seen as an unexpected production pioneer. However, it’s still a surprise that the three tracks on his latest EP since his breakthrough record leave behind his skittery UK bass and garage for a fractured, sonically adventurous wall of sound.
The opener and title-track is the most experimental, veering from jagged drum’n’bass to deep techno with spoken monologues about sexuality and an announcement of “this is who I am”. While ‘Hiders’ uses vocoders and heavenly keyboards to emotive effect, the mercurial ballad ‘Come Down To Us’ is the highlight with cinematic Massive Attack-style sweeps and an intriguing sample of a speech from transgender filmmaker Lana Wachowski. Although it could come across as slightly saccharine, this is an impressive genre-bending step forward.
8/10
Published on The Playground. Article here.
Max Cooper announces debut album and releases ‘Adrift’
Electronica and techno producer Max Cooper is set to unleash his debut album ‘Human’ on Fields on March 10th next year. The respected DJ first came to attention with his intriguing and ominous ‘Serie’ trilogy on Traum Schallplatten in 2009, where each track was inspired by a different mathematical or scientific concept. Having remixed tracks by Hot Chip, Kaiserdisco and Dominic Eulberg since then, the first cut from the record ‘Adrift’ (which features foreboding vocals from longtime collaborator Kathrin deBoer) reasserts his ability to create for skittery, forward thinking house.
Speaking about the track, Cooper said: “It’s more of a personal piece of music for me than a club track, which is the approach I’ve taken for the whole album.”
‘Adrift feat. Kathrin deBoer’ and the tracklist for ‘Human’ are below.
01. Woven Ancestry
02. Adrift feat. Kathrin deBoer
03. Automaton feat. BRAIDS
04. Supine
05. Seething
06. Numb feat. Kathrin deBoer
07. Impacts
08. Empyrean
09. Apparitions
10. Potency
11. Awakening
Adrift feat. Kathrin deBoer – FIELDS by Max Cooper
Published on The Playground. Article here.
5 minutes with… Natasha Kmeto
Natasha Kmeto has a talent for defying musical categorisation. Although based in Portland, she has been making sonically audacious R&B since her debut record ‘9’ in 2009. Arriving at a time when artists like FKA Twigs and Kelela are being hailed for taking R&B and electronica in unexpected directions, Kmeto’s personal new album ‘Crisis’ (released on ‘Dropping Gems’ in September) goes a step further, touching on themes of love and longing while letting her intimate vocals ride smooth and soulful synthscapes. We caught up with her to find out about her tastes, influences and new record. Natasha also shared her new mix with The Playground below.
Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?
Hello! I’m great, I’ve just been working on my new record all day.
What are the 5 albums and artists that have influenced you the most?
I always struggle with this question, here’s my go for today:
1. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
2. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
3. Madonna – Madonna
4. Björk – Post
5. Carole King – Tapestry
What are the 5 albums and artists that have influenced you the most?
I’m a huge fan of Machinedrum and have been for a while. ‘Vapor City’ has been on heavy rotation since its release. I’m still very much into Andy Stott as well. I just got a Paula Temple single on vinyl that I’m enjoying very much. I’m being drawn to darker sonic textures combined with beautiful full-range synths and heavy drums for some reason at the moment.
What other artists (electronic and non-electronic) do you really like at the moment and why?
I rely very heavily on my mic, which is a Peluso P-67. I have been using an awesome Juno emulator soft synth called the Togu Audio Line: TAL-U-NO-LX a lot. I also work the hell out of my Gold Baby 808 samples.
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
It’s tough to say. I’ve had some truly amazing gigs this past year subsequent to the release of ‘Crisis’. This record was really the first time I feel like I was very emotionally transparent both lyrically and sonically. Being able to play that out live and see and feel the connection with a packed room of other people has been incredible. Portland and Seattle always come out with such great energy but I’ve had some amazing shows in other cities as well. Too tough to choose!
What’s the worst gig you have ever done and why?
Oh god, probably some shit dive bar gig I played back when I was a teenager. I try to forget.
What are your thoughts on the following genres:
Classical:
I want to know so much more! I have a very basic knowledge of the classics through piano lessons as a kid and from singing in choirs but I would love to take time and learn more.
Blues:
Blues is home base, the touchstone. I was reared on jazz and blues and have studied and played a ton of it. Modern music would be nothing without blues.
Soul:
I love soul music. It’s one of my absolute favorites. However, I think that a lot of music that isn’t necessarily classified as “soul” can be very deep and soulful. I just love hearing very true and honestly emotive music. That’s soul to me.
Hip-Hop:
Hip-hop is another touchstone for me. I grew up during the golden era of hip-hop and it’s left it’s mark on me indefinitely. I feel like hip-hop will always inform every musical decision I make.
Folk:
I have a limited experience with American folk music, but was raised on a lot of world folk. I had a chance to play keys and sing back-up for a folk singer when I was in school and it was very musically rewarding and educational. Particularly in the vein of story telling and melody construction.
Dubstep:
I love the roots of dubstep. I love the really sparse, dubby, stuff. Not a huge fan of what people ended up coining as “dubstep” over here in the states. I’ve always been much more of a house and D&B girl myself.
Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects, DJ mixes or collaborations in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
I just completed a remix for an artist named Ducky for a track called “Two Over Ten” that comes out really soon. I have some stuff in the works for a release very soon, but can’t share any details just yet 😉
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure I’d be miserable.
How have you found the reaction to your latest album ‘Crisis’ so far and what direction do you think you will go in for your next album?
The reaction has been incredible so far. I’m thrilled with how much people are connecting with the record. It can be a particularly scary thing to be that vulnerable as an artist, so it was hugely rewarding to find people connecting with it on a deep level. My next record is definitely shaping up to be a bit darker and a bit harder feeling but still very emotive and soulful.
What’s your favourite track on ‘Crisis’?
What a tough question! I think it’s changed so many times depending on the day or mood I’m in. Today I would say ‘Prideless’ just because I think it’s probably the closest I’ve come to writing an upbeat love song, thus far. I struggle with writing “happy” most of the time because I think I use my art as a catharsis for all of my darker emotions.
There are a lot of artists (like FKA Twigs) getting mainstream attention for doing experimental R&B right now. Do you feel apart of this group or do you feel independent from it all?
I don’t necessarily feel independent from it, I guess I just want the distinction (as I’m sure other singer/producers do) that I do produce and write all of the tracks as well as singing on them. I’m loving all of the experimental R&B though and hope that it keeps getting attention. I was raised on a lot of R&B from the 80s and 90s when I feel like pop music was at one of its most progressive moments musically. It’s nice to see that cropping up again.
Listen to Jamie xx’s debut BBC 6 Music mix
The xx member Jamie xx explored funk, soul and house and played an unreleased track in his first set (listen here) for Friday 6 Mix on 6 Music.
Following a back-to-back session on October 25th alongside other 6 Music Resident DJ’s Goldie, Derrick May, Groove Armada, Andrew Weatherall and Erol Alkan, he included tracks by The xx (who are rumoured to be recording new material), Four Tet, Future, Todd Edwards and Lyon Vynehall among others.
He closed the set with his unreleased track ‘Sleep Sound’, which includes the glitchy minimalism and stark, yet beautiful atmospheres that gained The xx substantial acclaim for their first two albums.
Have a listen to ‘Sleep Sound’ below:
Jamie xx – “Sleep Sound” (Unreleased) by LTNGHTMX
Published on The Playground. Article here.
The War On Drugs announce new album and release ‘Red Eyes’
Hazy indie auteurs Adam Granduciel and The War On Drugs have returned with ‘Red Eyes’, the first cut from their forthcoming album, ‘Lost in the Dream’ (released on March 18th via Secretly Canadian). Combining heartbreaking lyrics like “I would keep you here, but I can’t” with a propulsive strut and gloomy Joy Division-esque textures, it’s melancholy yet elating at the same time. With the woodwinds, distorted guitars and Granduciel’s howls becoming increasingly frantic throughout, it bodes well for the band’s tour starting later this month throughout Australia and the USA. ‘Red Eyes’ and the tracklist for ‘Lost in the Dream’ are below.
01 Under the Pressure
02 Red Eyes
03 Suffering
04 An Ocean in Between the Waves
05 Disappearing
06 Eyes to the Wind
07 The Haunting Idle
08 Burning
09 Lost in the Dream
10 In Reverse
The War On Drugs – Red Eyes by Secretly Canadian
Published on The Playground. Article here.
Track review: Active Child – ‘Subtle (ft. Mikky Ekko)
Liar
Liar is a Bucharest-born producer with a talent for creating dark, atmospheric garage-house. Following last year’s acclaimed ‘Strange Love’ LP and a string of experimental EPs, he lends his bedroom whizzkid talents to ‘Subtle (ft. Mikky Ekko)’, the standout track from Active Child’s (AKA Pat Grossi) new EP, ‘Rapor’. Having previously given The xx’s ‘Chained’ an unsettling, skittery overhaul, he turns this chilled out track into a freestyle-influenced alt-pop triumph.
With its restless drums and frenetic synths, it also features the yearning vocals of Rihanna collaborator Mikky Ekko. A much more upbeat affair boasting hypnotic disco strings, ‘Subtle (ft. Mikky Ekko)’ showcases the more dance orientated side of the eclectic producer’s sound.
Listen to it below:
Active Child – Subtle Feat. Mikky Ekko (Liar Remix) by Active Child
Hear more on his recently released album ‘Spirewards’ here:
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/liarinth
Published on The Playground. Article here.
Event: Eat Your Own Ears presents Gold Panda
Essex-based one-man-band Gold Panda is set to bring his globetrotting sample-driven pop to St-John-at-Hackney Church on the December 10th.
Nominated in the BBC Sound Of 2010 and winning the Guardian’s First Album Award 2010 for his debut record, ‘Lucky Shiner’, the multi-instrumentalist has been hailed as a genre-defying talent. His second album ‘Half Of Where You Live’ (released in June this year) attracted praise from the NME and The Independent for its more personal, mature feel and samples taken from different cultures. He’s also remixed tracks by Simian Mobile Disco and Bloc Party, toured all over the world and released a DJ Kicks compilation in November 2011.
With his live shows notable for including Indian classical music influences and folk and psych-pop as well as the grandiose St-John-at-Hackney Church, it’s sure to be intense and rewarding sonic voyage.
Venue: St John at Hackney
Time: 8:00pm-1:00am
Tickets: £14.50
Published on The Playground. Article here.
Album review: Los Campesinos! – No Blues (Witchita Recordings)
Since arriving with lo-fi twee-pop songs about mixtapes and matching band t-shirts on 2008’s ‘Hold On Now, Youngster…’, Cardiff-formed Los Campesinos! have blossomed into a charismatic, romantically bleak indie act. Their fifth record ‘No Blues’ highlights their talent for combining gloomy lines like “I was the first match struck at the first cremation” (‘What Death Leaves Behind’) with anthemic power pop. The hymnal Efterklang-style ‘The Time Before The Last Time’ is a shoegaze-influenced triumph, while ‘Avocado, Baby’ boasts a thrilling synth-driven chorus. Although weaker tracks are covered up by pristine studio trickery, ‘No Blues’ is consistently infectious and edges the band closer to mainstream territory.
7/10
DIG IT? DIG DEEPER: ART BRUT, CAMERA OBSCURA, GUIDED BY VOICES
Published in Issue 90 of Clash magazine and ClashMusic.com. Article here.
Album review: Shearwater – Fellow Travelers (Sub Pop)
With lead singer Jonathan Meiburg comparing this covers album to “leafing through a scrapbook” of touring experiences, you’d expect it to be a nostalgic, emotive offering. Despite lending his rich, soulful vocals to an eclectic collection of tracks (including Coldplay and Wye Oak), the streamlined country-tinged production waters the songs down. Although David Thomas Broughton’s ‘Ambiguity’ is beautifully intimate, the urgency of Xiu Xiu’s ‘I Luv The Valley Oh’ and quiet/loud dynamics of St. Vincent’s ‘Cheerleader’ get lost in sweeping guitar riffs. The fact that it makes you want to listen to the originals suggests Meiburg has more of a connection with his own innovative tracks.
6/10
DIG IT? DIG DEEPER: OKKERVIL RIVER, GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS, THE BAPTIST GENERALS
Published in Issue 90 of Clash magazine and on ClashMusic.com. Article here.
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