Norwegian duo Lemaitre burst onto the scene in 2010, the intricate electronic pop of their debut EP ‘The Friendly Sound’ effortlessly defying conventional electronic formulas. Fast forward 10 years and Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund have barely paused to breathe. The prolific LA based pair’s upcoming ‘JGM’ EP is set for release via Substellar Records on 22nd May, and named after close friend and collaborator Johannes Greve Muskat who passed away last year, it’s no doubt their most personal work to date.
Penned after Johannes’ sudden death in 2019, new single ‘Joe’ is a touching tribute accompanied by a video montage made up of clips of the boys over the best part of a decade. Work on the EP began prior to the tragedy and after returning to the studio following a much-needed break, there was a noticeable change in tone.
Watch the new video to single “Joe”
“We took some time off to spend time with friends and family, and when we continued writing, we noticed Johannes’ passing had definitely influenced the music. He had such an impact on our lives and careers, and touched a lot of people with his own art. It’s important for us to shed a light on the beautiful work he did and continue his legacy.Johannes was like a 3rd member of our group and did most of our videos and visual art. We know he inspired a lot of people” Lemaitre
‘JGM’s’ collaborators include producer friends Bearson, Coucheron, Jerry Folk, Didrik Thulin and one of Sweden’s most sought-after producers, Chords, who co-wrote ‘Eyes Wide Open.’ In true Lemaitre fashion they continue to reinvent themselves and constantly push the boundaries of the genres in which they operate. Their endless commitment to upending what’s expected of the musical experience dates back to their earliest days as a duo. After meeting at a party in Oslo and bonding over their love of the Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx, Lund and Jansen started making music as teenagers, often holing up in Jansen’s parents’ basement for 14 hours a day. In 2010 their debut release reached No. 1 on Hype Machine overnight, and the subsequent releases of the ‘Relativity’ series (3 EP’s) caught the attention of some of dance music’s biggest names, including Martin Solveig and Porter Robinson. Upon signing for Astralwerks, the pair relocated to LA. In 2016, Lemaitre drew critical acclaim for ‘1749’ and ‘Afterglow,’ two boundary-blurring EPs that found the duo mastering everything from electro-swing to nu-disco and future bass. Lead track ‘Closer,’ featuring Jennie A, has had over 85 million plays on Spotify. The duo’s creativity culminated with the release of the Fast Lovers EP in 2019, featuring breakout tracks ‘Rocket Girl’ (feat Betty Who), and ‘Big.’
Known for their incendiary live sets, they have made a name for themselves globally through headline tours, huge support shows and some bumper festival slots. “The last few years have flown by really fast and there is still so much music we want to make,” they say. “Our music has taken us all over theworld, but we feel like we’ve just begun.”
David Hicks is a photographer who is just as interested in the behind-the-scenes stories as he is in the stories themselves. A true photojournalist, Hicks aims to capture every aspect of waking life.
Whether that be everyday activities on the streets of Cuba to the passionate and dynamic tango culture in Buenos Aries, Hicks will be there to experience it and share it.He says of his tango collection: “The Tango, a now-popular dance between a man and a woman, started in its current form in the mid-1800s, after a massive migration to Argentina, mostly by men. Because men outnumbered women by quite some number, the only way for a man to get close to a woman was via a brothel or by dance.The men practiced together, as you’d have to be a great dancer to get a woman’s attention. So, this very sexual dance you see now was born out of the reality for men in those old days. Nowadays, you see it performed often, usually on the street corners of Buenos Aires, with live musicians or a pre-recorded soundtrack, and they do it for the tips!”
It can always be a struggle when you music possesses such a crucial and pertinent message and yet you’re blocked by the damning limitations of ‘going under the radar’ – electronic animated anarchists ‘The Mad Game’ know this all too well.
The band’s debut EP, ‘Player One’, is a righteous middle finger to what they describe as ‘The Mad Game’ – the absurdities in society that have been integrated as the status quo – after tangling with governments, security services and local mafia. Their message of outrage and vitriol is a potent one found across the EPs five tracks – a mere morsel of their true potential – and is certainly enough to make listeners pay attention.
The trio’s soundscape is an eclectic one: the righteous indignation of the best punk music married beautifully to the jarring and skittish landscapes of the best electronica. The lead track, ‘Game Over ‘, in particular makes a phenomenal first impression to the animated anarchists with members Sonu, Karla and Sonya giving their respective inputs to this chilling three-pronged attack. What these newcomers nail best is their sincerity.
It’s hard to take such a venomous assault from someone you don’t genuinely believe has lived through the horrors that they detail – The Mad Game give off no such illusion. What you hear is authentic and those unaware of the band’s craft will soon learn to such things. It makes for a truly gripping and inspiring experience.
This is not a project that anyone should overlook regardless of their tastes; thoughtful, well crafted and genuine music. Not something 2021 receives in surplus.
“The Tunetables idea was borne,” says Rob Chappelhow, the man behind a range of ingenious new storage solutions, “out of a personal desire to have my music collection around me once again.”
That’s something all of us record-collector’s can empathise with. Now, I’ve banged on before about how, for many of us, digital streaming doesn’t cut it. Streaming services are great, but for a large number of us hard-core music fans, we want something we can hold in our sweaty hands, right? But, once you have all those lovely records, where do you put them?
Flat-pack shelving is fine, but it’s hardly inspiring. That’s where the Tunetables range comes into its own. More words from Rob Chappelhow, who explains that the idea came to him during a visit to the Joe Strummer Archive exhibition in the basement of Fred Perry’s flagship store in Covent Garden – “Set out under an acrylic plinth was Strummer’s personal tape cassette collection…his musical heritage and inspiration perfectly showcased.”
It was totally spellbinding. I soon started to conceptualise how I could create my own version of this…a personal time capsule of life-affirming music. I wanted something that could be inherently useful, something that I would see and use every day, and that would be a talking point for like-minded music enthusiasts.”
And lo! Tunetables was born… What Chappelhow has done is to take brand new music-equipment flight-cases (the type we are well-used to seeing lugged around by roadies and musicians) and turn them into hand-crafted storage solutions for your CDs, tapes and vinyl. It’s a wonderful idea and, most importantly, they look great. As mentioned, each case is built by hand, and can be personalised with your own initials (or whatever you fancy). Storage ranges from 100 – 500 for CDs, 30 – 60 for tapes, and 75 for vinyl. That’s not a bad amount at all. I can see a lot of people going for this, from pro and semi-pro musicians to plain music-lovers such as myself. This is modern design with an old-school aesthetic. Check them out for yourself!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.