Fabrizio Lapiana will soon release a debut LP, Intraverso—described as a “journey in that momentary ‘inbetween land’ that many of us experience sometimes.” It’s said to “explore the turmoil of feelings of when one gets stuck in the middle, floating in between ambition and complete stillness.”
Fabrizio Lapiana is a well-known name on the contemporary Italian techno scene. He has been involved in music since the ’90s when he started DJing in his hometown Rome. To date he has releases on labels such as Figure Jams, Arts, and M_Rec Ltd—as well as his own imprint, the well renowned Attic Music, founded in 2008.
Intraverso is Fabrizio’s debut album, set for release on his label. The record is a” very personal journey,” according to the artist himself. You here find him examining different territory than where he usually heads within his productions. The album, which consists of nine tracks in total, was composed between April 2016 and February 2017 in his studio in Rome. Written in a state of “introspect,” the album shows “an artist in motion.”
Ahead of the February 23 release, you can download “Again” via the WeTransfer button below. The track, number seven, sees “the expedition” continue through the dancefloor, albeit “in a deeper landscape where flickering extraterrestrial sounds watch you go along.”
Point Blank‘s latest video gives an insight into a masterclass with Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ Todd Edwards.
In the video, recorded at Point Blank Los Angeles, Edwards shares some invaluable advice and anecdotes with attending students, including glimpses of his DAW projects and insights and stories about the less glamorous side of old-school sampling techniques.
You can watch the video in full via the player above, with more on Point Blank and its courses here.
Paris-based experimental artist Alex Augier will release his first solo EP, Germination, on DAC Records.
The new EP from Augier follows last year’s Franck Vigroux Rapport sur le Désordre with three mind-bending originals and a remix from Subtext co-founder Roly Porter. Augier’s penchant for sound exploration is on full display on Germination, which flows through sonic terrain that is at once fragile, cavernous, and claustrophobic. Like the originals, Roly Porter’s remix creates a alien-like world with wall-shaking bass tones and rippling textures.
In support of the release, Augier has offered up the EP’s title track as today’s XLR8R download, available via WeTransfer below.
Leipzig-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Stefan Streck (a.k.a. The Micronaut) has shared a self-produced music video for “Prism,” one of the tracks from his latest full-length album, Forms.
Streck shot and edited the entire film himself, matching spellbinding visual elements with the track’s heady concoction of melancholic beauty. To Streck, visuals and sounds are intrinsically entwined and shape not only the album but also his identity as an all-round artist, and this ideal permeates throughout his sonic work, which has strong synesthetic qualities.
The music video, which can be streamed in full via the player above, sets the tone for The Micronaut’s forthcoming EP, Contrast, which will be released on February 16 via Freude Am Tanzen Records.
Haunting, aggressive, and serene, the soundtrack essentially acts as an additional character in the Japanese film of the same name—directed by Tatsushi Omori and based on the novel Hikari by Shion Miura—which weaves a tale of love, jealousy, and revenge. During the creative process, Mills tried not to relate to any of characters in the film, which helped him keep a distance in terms of the usage of the chord structure and important note configurations, ensuring every sound element has its purpose.
Parts of And Then There Was Light came out digitally last year but the CD, released on Mills’ Axis Records, contains additional music and 16 tracks in total.
You can pick up And Then There Was Light here, with a video clip streaming in full via the player above.
01. A Secret Sense (2:58) 02. Islands From The Lost Sea (3:26) 03. Raindrops Of Truth (3:38) 04. Parallelism In Fate (3:20) 05. The Revenge Of Being In Lust (4:29) 06. The Bond Of Death (4:06) 07. The Trail Of Secrets (2:52) 08. Consequences (3:04) 09. Danger From Abroad (2:59) 10. The Little Ones (2:55) 11. Landscapes (2:56) 12. Trigger Happy Level (0:14) 13. The Players Of Consequence (0:22) 14. Lost Winners (4:06) 15. The Hypnotist (Hikari Mix) (4:28) 16. Incoming (3:22)
It’s thanks to the diggers of our world, the selectors, tastemakers, and bloggers of unearthed sounds, that once unheard-of global sounds are becoming more integrated into our listening habits. One such genre is the traditional Thai Molam sound, which, thanks to reissues courtesy of Finders Keepers—and the success of such acts as The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, The Whitest Crow, and Khun Narin (bands worthy of your attention if you’re fans of Khruangbin)—is becoming a scene within itself in Western circles. One of the biggest adopters of the Thai style is Khruangbin, whose psych-rock, chill-out credentials are massive and near inescapable.
The predominately instrumental trio from Burton, Texas consisting of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums, came together with a vision of playing global surf rock. Speer’s love of Thai music came about after discovering the blog Monrakplengthai (“I love Thai Music”) and going on to create a new, westernized style of Molam. The band’s name was actually taken from this, translating to “engine fly” or “aeroplane” to symbolize the international set of influences that shaped their music.
Khruangbin’s music has gently been creeping into the global airwaves for the past five years. From having the track “A Calf Born in Water” featured on Bonobo’s 2013 Late Night Tales, the band went on to release their debut LP The Universe Smiles Upon You in 2011—an album that became a ubiquitous feature in psych, soft-rock, and chill-out playlists alike. The soft, gentle guitar-based melodies found their way into many a DJ set thanks to set of remixes by Futureboogie, Maribou State, and Session Victim, along with hypnotic performances at festivals such as Magnetic Fields, Dimensions, and one of the most memorable appearances on Boiler Room. They’ve also garnered themselves as credible and well-versed tastemakers thanks to a progressive series of playlists, and regular slots on NTS.
The new album takes flight from its predecessor; sharp drums, smooth reaching guitar licks, and subtle, harmonic basslines weave like a soft sea breeze, whispering tales of exotic love and dreamlike adventures. Recorded together in their hometown of Burton, the LP begins with “Como me quieres?” (How much do you love me?) a question asked by Lee’s grandfather—to which she would answer, “Con todo el mundo” (with all the love in the world). It’s a tender, exquisite instrumental, passively paced, with gentle keys, whistles, and ambient prayer-like humming.
The laid-back “Friday Morning” is the LP’s love song and is crying out for a Dan The Automator makeover with MF Doom at some point in the near future. It takes the record’s pacing even slower, hinting at the record’s leanings on American music, as brought in by Johnson’s previous background as a choir organist.
Con Todo El Mundo takes more upbeat trajectories with the eastern-funk heavy rhythm of “Maria Tambien,” a track resplendent with breakdowns, handclaps, and hook-laden riffs, which is already getting support from Gilles Peterson, James Blake and other radio jock-types. With a more composed feel, there are incandescent Mediterranean vibes, such as the bouzouki influence in “Evan Finds the Third Room,” along with Turk-psych influence on the aforementioned (and standout single) “Maria Tambien.”
But the Molam vibe is inescapable, as Speer drives the East-Asian riffs throughout the album’s 10 tracks. Con Todo El Mundo never breaks from the bluesy-Thai spirit, resplendent with harmonious choruses, pad-like percussive undertones, and rife with riffs. The attention to artistry, love, and harmony bleeds passionately through this album, reflecting the current tone and trend for contemporary global-psychedelia (see Goat, Tame Impala etc.), while addressing positivity and balance with it’s overall, good-natured vibes.
As a whole, it doesn’t divert too much from the band’s debut offering, yet it’s ability to keep you enamoured without being loud or egregious is phenomenal. Background music was never meant to be this good. There’s no doubt it will become the soundtrack to every refined coffee house in your district, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With a European tour already selling out, this vagabond troupe of chill-out misfits are about to become the next hippest thing since The XX, without the lacklustre pedantic vocals attached.
As a record, Con Todo El Mundo won’t change the world, but it will make your day brighter. Once you’ve maxed out playing records by The Budos Band and Bonobo, then Khruangbin should be next in your selection.
Tracklisting
01. Como Me Quieres 02. Lady And Man 03. Maria Tambien 04. August 10 05. Como Te Quiero 06. Shades Of Man 07. Evan Finds The Third Room 08. A Hymn 09. Rules 10. Friday Morning
Volruptus is a Berlin-based Icelandic electro producer. His sound draws on the mutant techno-futurism of Underground Resistance, the warped melodies of Rephlex, and the high BPMs of Miami bass and Detroit electro. He is highly regarded for his hardware-based live set and is widely considered a rising name in underground circles. He’s released records on esteemed Icelandic label bbbbbb, Nina Kraviz’ Trip imprint, and digital label Sweaty Records.
Today, he’s offering up a new and unreleased cut, with no strings attached—titled “Fjandsamlegar Geimverur.” Grab it now via the WeTransfer button below.
CTM Festival will begin proceedings tomorrow with opening night at Berghain, featuring performances by Dengue Dengue Dengue, Celestial Trax, RAMZi, and Boys Noize, among others.
Running from January 26 to February 4 at Berlin venues HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berghain, YAAM, Festsaal Kreuzberg, SchwuZ, Club OST, and Kunstquartier Bethanien, this year’s edition—its 19th—is centered around the theme of turmoil and looks to explore the state of music and sound practice in the face of a confusing and critical present.
Just like in previous years, the festival has enlisted performances from a collection of intriguing names operating in the experimental music world, including Colleen, Born in Flamez, Flava D, Pixelord, Ikonika, Laurel Halo, Equiknoxx, Jlin, Holly Herndon Ensemble, and Special Request, among many others.
You can find the full schedule and more info on CTM Festival here.
Her Damit Festival has announced the lineup for its fourth edition, taking place from June 8 to 10 in Freudenberg, 50km outside of Berlin.
The main focus of the annual event has always been on the music making it an intimate yet intense three-day-party for techno and house connoisseurs. On the schedule this year are Bambounou, Konstantin Sibold, Shifted, Roman Flügel, and more, with a full lineup listed below.
In advance of the event, we also spoke with Melanie, one of the event founders to learn more about what to expect for this year’s edition.
How old is the festival?
It’s our fourth year already but at the moment it feels much younger to us. Last year we had to find a new “home.” The former “Kraft durch Freude”—building in Prora, a relic from Nazi Germany, was bought up by investors and redeveloped and unfortunately converted into luxury flats. Near Berlin, we found a former bunker complex from the GDR times that seemed perfect for us. So, we moved from the island of Rugia to Freudenberg—into “exile.” The local community and the residence of Freudenberg greeted us with open arm. What started off as an “exile” location has now become our home. However, like with every move, change comes with it. So it was unavoidable for the Festival not to change but we have adapted to the new surroundings.
How did the festival come about?
One could say that Her Damit is a personal continuation of another failed project with friends. It took place in Prora, too. When we discovered the location a few years back, we shared a vision of a festival. We spent nearly two years with the planning, organization, and eventually the realisation of it. It took all our heart, soul, strength, and passion. Unfortunately, our cooperation did not function very well. When it was over, we were faced with the shards of our shared vision and also our friendship. This weighed very heavily on me—in many ways. I wanted to quit it all, never do a festival again, and leave everything behind me. However, luckily there were people close to me who pushed me and motivated me so much that I pulled myself together and gathered my remaining energy together once more—and continued this journey on my own. I shaped a new concept based on my very own vision and that is how Her Damit was born. Above all, I am very ambitious to break new musical ground in the German festival scene.
What does He mean? How did you come up with the name?
In the previous project we had played with that expression in our PR (in English it would mean something like “bring it on”) over and over again. I always found it very powerful and applicable in many ways, and I liked it very much. To name my new festival this way also comes down to nostalgia. I am a very emotional person, and it took me a very long time to get over being sad about the failure of the former project; maybe some part of me didn’t want to let go of it at that moment. However, the expression also fits perfectly to what I would like to express; I connect the name “Her Damit” with pure energy.
What are your backgrounds?
My personal “rave” career began when I was 16 years old—that’s 20 years ago now. My boyfriend at that time listened to Chicago house and techno, that’s how I got introduced to the music. However, professionally I took a different path back then. At the age of 29, I was a little bored of what I was doing at the time, so I started organizing parties at off-locations—just for fun, from time to time with some friends. Eventually, this resulted in founding a record label, too. At some point, I decided to turn my passion into my profession and began working as a booking agent, but today I only organize festivals.
What is the concept behind the festival?
The main focus is on the music. And secondly the light and visual effects and the sound concept. Decoration only plays a minor supporting role for a good reason. As we always have very unusual locations, we don’t want to cover up what the location has to offer but we want to embrace it, and for this, the lighting plays a huge role. The bunker complex in Freudenberg reminds me very much of old rave times, hence, I’m always saying that last year’s “Her Damit im Exil” was a homage to ’90s rave culture. The concept behind it was very stripped-down. About this year’s concept, I actually don’t want to give too much away yet— the surprise is important—but I can tell you this already, in some bits you might see a certain Studio 54 influences.
What is the vision behind the bookings at the festival? What is the type of artist you look for?
I personally was never much of a festival goer, because I found it hard to find a festival with a lineup I personally liked. This, of course, inspired me even more to do my own thing. Why not do my own festival, if my experiences so far had not been the greatest? Sadly so far I was never able to party at my own festival (yet).
In terms of bookings, it is a constant tightrope, because everything should be perfectly balanced out: house and techno, a mix of well-known DJs and new up comers. In general, I’m not only interested in booking big names, but rather go for variety. The lineups are based on an idea, some sort of a musical story I would like to tell our guests during their stay at Her Damit. Concerning the artists, is very important to me that they understand their craft and have the “rave heart” at the right spot. Artists who have their very own fingerprint and style always impress me a lot.
There is so much going on in Berlin, why is Her Damit worth a weekend outside?
You have to discover and explore Her Damit; it’s totally off the grid, just the travel to our new location is already an experience—very “trippy.” And then the location even on its own is also worth a visit.
Sure you can go to good clubs in Berlin every weekend, but our festival is only once a year, and from year to year things will improve and develop, and we will do more than our very best to keep things muy exciting and fresh.
Do you work with local promoters?
Not really. We have a special relation to some local crews, which is also reflected in our lineups, but all the promo, the realization, and everything else is done by our lovely team. Just for the light concept, we‘ve teamed up with the Lumito-Crew. They‘ve done an amazing job last year.
What are your plans for the future?
Yeah! We are about to launch our own vinyl label: Her Damit Tonarchiv. The first three releases are already in progress. This project is not supposed to conquer the international electronic music industry, we rather want to return a little something to our guests, friends, and family.
Before, Her Damit was more like a hobby/side project for me. It‘s still not about earning big money, more an idealistic thing, but to be able to continue and move things forward it’s now necessary to professionalize the whole project in many ways.
And of course, we are still figuring things out at the new location and we are still refining things.
Personally speaking, if there is one moment that defines Her Damit for you what would it be?
During nd_baumecker’s set on Saturday evening in 2016. I went on stage for the last 30-40 minutes of his set. It has been a huge stage and there was a massive crowd in front of it; the energy and the view was epic. He played a remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Game.” While Lana was singing “For you, for you, it’s all for you,” nd turned over to me with open arms, pointing at me, and singing along the lyrics. I immediately started to cry. The previous years have been so tough on me, but in that moment I knew: the whole effort was totally worth it! It’s the most memorable Her Damit moment for me and I will never ever forget it.
Lineup
Alex Lauter Bambounou Bleak – live Candy Pollard Cormac Darwin Doc Sleep DJ BORING DJ Yamaho Edoardo Eris Drew Freddy K Grizzly Héctor Oaks Helge Misof I Hate Models INNEN+AUSSEN (aka Jenus + nd_baumecker) ItaloJohnson Justin Strauss K_arim Karl Ferdinand Kia Kobosil Konstantin Sibold & Leif Müller Michael Nadjé Mirella Kroes Modig Muallem nd_baumecker Nitam Norman Nodge nthng Oliver Deutschmann Regen ROD Roi Perez Roman Flügel Ron Blanco & TRP Shed Shifted Sunny Uta
Details
Start/End
Friday, June 8 from 10 am until Sunday, June 10. Guests can stay at the camping site until Monday. More information and tickets can be found here.
Trace through the musical lineage of Montreal artist Lou Phelps (born Louis-Philippe Celestin) and you’ll be hit by obvious cue points leading to a career in music. That’s not to say success was handed to him on a platter; rather, Phelps, now 24, actively—and naturally—chased an innate interest in music from the age of 10, recording beats and rhymes with a family that shared his genetic connection to creativity. Alongside his brother Louis Kevin Celestin (a.k.a. Kaytranada), Phelps formed The Celestics in 2011 with the release of Massively Massive, a 15-track long-player that, although being gritty and slightly clunky (it was, after all, recorded with a Guitar Hero mic and a ripped version of Fruity Loops), presented an evolved sonic vision from two artists with a wealth of promise. Supreme Laziness then followed in 2014, further refining their sound with another 15 head-nodding cuts—“Charles Barkley” and “173(pipo version)” ft. Waldo are of particular note from this era.
During his time in The Celestics, Phelps released a wealth of solo outings as Louie P, including Cause I Wanna, an 80-minute DJ mix—quite interestingly—featuring Kyle Hall, Mr. Oizo, DJ Rashad, and RP Boo. A handful of singles then followed under his Lou Phelps moniker before last year’s standout debut, 001: Experiments, which fused the electronic experimentation of the artist glimpsed on Cause I Wanna with deeper influence from Madvillain, Slum Village, Jay Z, and Erik B & Rakim. Just as he’s done his whole life, Phelps recorded 001: Experiments alongside his brother (who produced it)—with guests including Innanet James, CJ Flemings, Bishop Nehru, and KALLITECHNIS—putting a stamp on his life in music up to that point and outlining an impressive mission statement for what’s to come. With more releases on the horizon, including a new album, XLR8R caught up with Phelps to learn some more.
Lou Phelps will perform at this years Igloofest in Montreal, Canada, alongside DJ Esco, Boi-1da, Nate Husser, and more. He’s scheduled to play on Thursday, February 1. More information can be found here.
Your debut solo album arrived last year, but when did your musical path begin?
It began when I was the age of 10 years old, messing around with a cheap computer microphone and my PC recorder with my brother and my cousins. We used to have a rap group called The God Monsters. Seeing 50 Cent and Jay-Z on television made me wanna become a rapper at a young age but we only did it for fun. Things became serious when I saw Kevin’s talent and began discovering more underground hip-hop music in high school.
It’s interesting that both you and your brother have both found success in music. Do you come from a particularly musical family?
Yes, our father used to be in a Kompa band, and our mother used to sing in a choir. One of our sisters used to sing every day out loud in the house, etc. Our family is basically very art oriented; Kevin is a great drawer, dancer, and actor. But music is what I wanted to do because I can’t draw to save my life and I can’t dance either so I naturally gravitated towards music.
Has it always been clear to you that you wanted to pursue a career in music?
Yes, I’ve always had music as my “plan A” but always had a “plan B” too. So I went to school to have a fallback plan but I realised that if I didn’t put all my focus on it then it wouldn’t work.
Looking back, did you instantly feel a connection with rap when you heard it?
I feel like rap music was always around me. So it just feels natural. I used to hear songs like “T.R.O.Y.” and go crazy because of the usage of the samples—without even knowing they were samples. Jazz music had a deeper connection with me. I was too young but I remember hearing Ella Fitzgerald play in my Dad’s car and going crazy because she was saying gibberish but making it sound so good.
When did you begin writing lyrics and performing in public?
I remember that I started writing my own lyrics when I got into high school because I made a mixtape with me rapping gibberish and showed it to my friends—and they laughed at me. I would laugh at it too if I heard it now. But I only started performing at the age of 16.
Where did you first begin performing your raps? Did you go to events?
The first time I performed was when I auditioned for a talent show at school, but they didn’t take me because rap wasn’t relevant for them.The actual first time I performed in front of a crowd was when I was 16. It was at the fourth ArtBeat Montreal event. (I believe the video is still on Youtube.) The producer showcase part was over and Kay and the other Alaiz members were doing a DJ set. There was a microphone and I was like, “Fuck it, let’s do it. Kay played “Kolanget” from our first The Celestics mixtape and the crowd went wild! The chorus sorta became an anthem for a moment in the scene.
What did your early experiments sound like?
Basically, me doing covers of popular rap songs and switching up the words for gibberish.
What was it like growing up in Montreal, more generally?
We grew up in a suburb of Montreal called the South Shore. So I can’t really explain to you what it’s like growing up in the city. From what I heard, it’s a completely different world from where I grew up. There is sort of no culture and diversity in the suburbia of Montreal. Everyone looks the same, they look up to the same people, listen to the same music, etc. There wasn’t much to do except play sports, go to school, and do all the other things teens do.
How is the rap scene in Montreal?
The rap scene in Montreal is interesting. We have great artists, rappers, producers, DJs, etc. The thing is rappers in Montreal have no camaraderie. Everybody is in competition to be the first one with that blows up out of here. The French rap scene here is pretty poppin’ tho.
When did you begin involving yourself in Montreal’s rap scene? Are you still very involved today?
I started to get involved in the rap scene when Kay was 18 and our parents wouldn’t allow us to go out. Some people from Montreal discovered Kaytra through Soundcloud or whatever. And I was the one who would convince our mother to let us go out and from going out to these Montreal underground hip-hop events I got to see the nightlife and what the scene looked like.
Did you perform at all in these Montreal hip-hop nights? Did you learn a lot there?
When I started taking rap seriously, I used to perform everywhere. But then I feel like the promoters weren’t interested in what I did so I wasn’t doing as many shows as before. They were more into the DJ sets. But I remember opening for Cam’ron, it was probably the most enlightening experience of my life. I’ve never seen this many people not caring about what I did at the same time. So I was like, “Yo, I gotta find a way to make better stuff to make the people turn their heads when I perform. I gotta find a way to make people ask about me.” And then when I started touring with Kay, I was killin every show I was performing.
Which Montreal artists are you into right now?
I really like Planet Giza. They’re most likely the most talented people to come out of Montreal after Kaytra. I fuck with High-Klassified, Da-P. This group called Alaclair Ensemble, they aren’t from Montreal, they’re from Quebec city but they represent well.
Besides rap, what sort of music were you listening to growing up? Who were the artists that inspired you?
What is it about these three artists that you appreciate—and in what ways do you try to bring this into your own music?
Madvillain is the Madlib beats and the way Doom flows over them that sounds amazing to me. Anderson .Paak’s soul is just incomparable. The way he sings and finds ideas of flows over tracks is simply amazing. And Slum Village is the Dilla beats with the flows and subjects that they rap about.
You actually began your career as Louie P. with The Celestics—releasing in 2011. What was the inspiration/idea for the project? How did it come about?
Madvillain was the main inspiration. I was trying to be like them. I thought I had a talent that no one around me had and I also saw Kaytranada’s talent. It just worked well. No one used to want to rap on my brother’s beats at the time. Who else can understand more his vibe than his own blood? That’s what The Celestics was all about.
When did you guys first enter the studio together?
We didn’t have a studio. All of this was recorded in our mother’s basement on Guitar Hero microphone with a sock over it!
Is your studio still in the same place?
Yes, we’re still in the basement; that’s where we make beats and lay down the ideas. But to record the final versions, I go to a studio near where I stay. The Gold Labs is the name. They got a dope set up, drums, guitars, TV, drinks. All a brother needs to keep his mind flowing.
How was it going to the studio with your brother? It must be a funny experience.
It was normal, to be honest. Kay is a computer nerd. He’s always making beats or listening to samples. The way we “hit the studio” was basically Kevin playing his new beats and I would randomly pop up and say, “ WOOOOOOOO, I like this beat” and he would give it to me. We would work our separate ways. When I’m done with my part, he would listen to it and tell me if there were any changes to make. I would listen and switch what I had to switch. Then you’ve got yourself a Celestics track!
You also released a wealth of solo outings as Louie P during your time in The Celestics. Talk to me about these.
It was basically me doing my own thing. Sometimes Kevin doesn’t have time to work with me and you gotta make music on your own. Also, people heard about The Celestics and my raps, and they love it and they asked for features. If I liked the beat then I rapped on it.
So you’ve been rapping for many years, but you’ve also produced some of your own beats. When did you begin experimenting with music production?
I only just started producing music last year. But I began understanding the mechanics of FL Studio back when Kevin was making beats with “virtual DJ” but wanted to add his own compositions to the music. He didn’t understand how it worked so I took the pieces to the puzzle and made it work and explained it to him. The rest is history.
What was it that inspired you to begin producing music last year—was it just an important step in becoming a solo artist?
Basically, it’s an important step to have control over the instrumental you’re rapping on, even if you haven’t produced it from head to toe. You always have to have your two cents on it. I think you have to produce to reach the creativity that you envisioned in your mind.
Looking back, did you have a clear idea of how you wanted your solo music to sound?
At first, I wanted it to be “underground beats with mainstream lyrics.” But now I’m just doing what I think is dope.
And one of the first releases was 001: Experiments—your first solo album. Talk to me about the recording processes behind it.
It’s produced by my brother and Tek.Lun. It’s basically a bunch of dope things that I wanted to work on. I didn’t really have a concept to it so I called it Experiments. It took about three years to build—three years of being uncertain about if a song sounds dope or not; three years of doubting myself because I knew it wouldn’t have the same impact as The Celestics. All I wanted to do with this one was to show that I’m still here and I can still deliver some dope music.
“He’s a musical genius but don’t want it to look like its a side project for him when its my own thing.”
How much of a role did your brother play on the record?
Kay did most of the production—but 001 and the other projects that I will be putting out are completely my things. He has a great musical mind. He’s a musical genius but I don’t want it to look like its a side project for him when it’s my own thing.
Why did you begin working Lou Phelps rather than Louie P?
I switched my name because I was on Worldstarhiphop and I saw another rapper named Louie P. Also seeing #LouieP on Instagram its mostly random rappers from the States. So I had to find something original that nobody had and that sounded cool.
It’s interesting that you collaborated with some other Montreal-based artists on the release. What’s the reason for this?
I always want to showcase what my city has to offer and also I work with the resources that are around me. If you sound dope, then we can work together.
Your lyrics are at times funny and playful. Where do your lyrics come from? Are you always writing?
The way I write my stuff is pretty much how I would act or say things in real life. I used to write verses without even hearing an instrumental at the time. But now I feel like I’d rather ride on the beat than take some pre-written stuff. It’s sort of like eating frozen food or cooking it yourself: sometimes the frozen food is the quicker option. But it’s always better to cook it yourself.
How reflective of this vibe is reflective of your personality?
To be honest with you, I’m a shy dude, very reserved, introvert. But once you get to know me, I’ll be cracking up the jokes, making people laugh and shit. So I think it does reflect how I am.
What’s does 2018 have in store for Lou Phelps? When can we expect some new material?
2018 will be touring, and hopefully some modelling contracts, hopefully, some acting deals. Joke! 2018, album 002 dropping this spring. Debut single coming out very soon.
Will your next solo material will be produced by you?
I don’t feel confident enough about my producing to have it make most of my album but there will be like two or three songs that are produced by me. Hopefully, they turn out to be the most banging tracks on the album in the public’s eye.
