Interview: Hemingway

DATE:
May 20th, 2013
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Interviews
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For his first solo project, Toronto-based producer James Harris had chosen a classy moniker: Hemingway. Under that guise he has been producing music for “cruising, boogey-woogeying, and late-night promenades”, a series of quality remixes, not to mention his excellent “Slow Cruise” mixtapes full of yacht vibes. When he’s not crafting new tracks, he loves reading sci-fi stories about alien worlds. He’s such a talented guy.

Hemingway has been on our radar for quite some time now, and he always manages to impress us with his production skills. He makes no exception with his superb debut single “Ace Neptune”, an epic intergalactic journey through space, which was recently released on Brilliantine, backed with remixes by Cyclist and Jokers Of The Scene.

Today, Hemingway stops at La.Ga.Sta. for a little chat about music, influences and aliens. Read our interview below and get to know him better. He’s definitely a producer worth keeping an eye on.

La.Ga.Sta.: What’s the story behind your name?

Hemingway: I wish there was a cool story to tell, but there isn’t really. When I was much younger and just getting into producing/djing I was reading Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and The Sea” for the first time and I guess it just clicked. It sounded classy.

What made you decide to turn to music in the first place?

I think there’s some genetic predisposition, but it’s more a combination of having grown up in a musical environment with lots of instruments to noodle around with, absorbing many bleeps and bloops from the Commodore 64, and listening to my dad’s eccentric record collection like Tears for Fears or Vangelis during family dinners.

What is your source of inspiration?

There’s not one single source per se, although it would be cool if I had some secret alien well of inspiration. Usually it starts from a sound, a chord, or a combination of chords. I seem to be constantly drawing upon visuals on YouTube as well. I watched a lot of “Gundam Wing” when I was working on “Ace Neptune”.

Can you tell us a few things about your debut single “Ace Neptune” on Brilliantine?

I started it over a year ago. At the time it was just an experiment with a new sound and I didn’t expect to flesh it out, but Andrew and Meg (the label owners) really liked it and encouraged me to finish it. I had this vision in my mind of an intrepid galactic traveller akin to Flash Gordon exploring undiscovered planets. I have always liked reading science fiction stories about alien worlds, and I often find myself thinking of a soundtrack in my mind’s ear. So I figured it would be a nerdy and fun thing to bring to fruition. On another note, I have since made a bunch of tunes in a similar vein, so their may be an EP to continue Ace Neptune’s narrative down the road.

What has influenced you the most in the past years?

This is a hard question because there have been so many great artists, films, and life events that have influenced me. I have really grown fond of jazz composition in the past few years. I’ve been playing keys more than programming these days and everything melody-wise seems to come more naturally now.

How would you describe your work?

A tad over-ambitious.

What is your favorite sound?

A 7th chord on a properly amped Wurlitzer maybe?

What is a piece of equipment you can’t live without and why?

To be completely honest, my MacBook. I could live without my synth and still be able to make music on my computer.

Which is your favorite destination?

I have yet to actually go, but probably Japan or maybe Easter Island.

Which are your favorite tracks at the moment?

Here’s five I’ve been really feeling lately:
- Shuggie Otis – Not Available
- Space Dimension Controller – The Love Quadrant
- Boards Of Canada – In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country
- Monte – True
- Datassette – Helvetica Calcium

Three things we should know about Hemingway…

1. I will be moving in the direction of a live set-up, which may include a guitarist, a drummer, and myself on keys.

2. I have about three different EPs in the works. One is science-fictiony, one is pure yacht vibes, and one is deep, clubby and citrusy.

3. There will be a third “Slow Cruise” mix soon…

Head over to Hemingway’s Soundcloud page to hear a few more jams. Below, you can stream Cyclist’s killer remix of his new single “Ace Neptune” and grab his tune “Debutante” for free.

Download here

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Tom Odell: “Another Love (Jonas Rathsman Remix)”

DATE:
May 20th, 2013
CATEGORIES:
News
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It’s really not everyday that we hear a new remix from Swedish house producer Jonas Rathsman. So make sure to check out his quality remix of Tom Odell’s “Another Love” that has been on repeat in our car stereo all weekend. It’s way better than the original.

Hypnotic and deep, this remix is taken from the “Another Love” EP, which drops on June 16th via Columbia.

mpFree: Jonas Rathsman: “Bringing You Down”.

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Yuksek feat. Oh Land: “Last Of Our Kinds” Video

DATE:
May 20th, 2013
CATEGORIES:
mpFree, News
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Check out the cosmic video for Yuksek’s fantastic new single “Last Of Our Kinds”, which features Oh Land on vocals. The single is out now on his own label, Partyfine. You can grab the track for free below.

Directed by Ines Marzat.

Download here

mpFree: Yuksek feat. Oh Land: “Last Of Our Kinds” [Michael Garcon Remix
]

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Little Boots: “Broken Record (Cosmic Kids Remix)”

DATE:
May 14th, 2013
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mpFree
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A few days ago, the dance-pop songstress Little Boots, aka Victoria Hesketh, released her Tim Goldsworthy-produced new album “Nocturnes” on her own newly formed label, On Repeat Records. It’s a record “indebted to the night” full of infectious melodic dance gems. And it sounds much better than her first LP.

Here, we have a delightful remix of her latest single “Broken Record” by Los Angeles-based disco/house duo Cosmic Kids. They rarely fail to disappoint. Did we mention it’s free?

Download here

Little Boots’ “Nocturnes” is out now. Get it here.

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Chris Malinchak: “So Good To Me (Ejeca Remix)”

DATE:
May 14th, 2013
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mpFree
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More heat from Northern Irish producer Ejeca. This time round, he delivers an incredible remix of New Jersey’s producer Chris Malinchak breakout single “So Good To Me”. Grab it now, while it’s hot!

Download here [mp3] or here [wav]

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Flight Facilities: “I Didn’t Believe (Lou Teti Remix)”

DATE:
May 14th, 2013
CATEGORIES:
News
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We’ve already posted Flight Facilities’ infectious new single “I Didn’t Believe”, which features the smooth vocals of Elizabeth Rose, and now we’re treated to this gorgeous remix from Brooklyn-based producer Lou Teti. This is our favorite remix from the release.

The “I Didn’t Believe” EP is out now on Future Classic/Glassnote and also includes remixes by Tiger & Woods and Light Year. Below, you can watch the fun unofficial video, which contains footage from “Soul Train”.

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John Grant: “Pale Green Ghosts (Xinobi Remix)”

DATE:
May 13th, 2013
CATEGORIES:
mpFree
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Hot on the heels of his great new two-track EP “Puma” for Discotexas, Portuguese producer Bruno Cardoso, aka Xinobi, made this stellar remix of “Pale Green Ghosts” by the acclaimed American singer-songwriter John Grant. Just perfect for your next road trip.

Grab it for free below, and make sure to listen to Xinobi’s latest jam “Puma” if you haven’t already. It’s absolute fire. Go!

Download here

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Shout Out Louds: “Illusions (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)”

DATE:
May 10th, 2013
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News
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Norwegian space disco wizard Prins Thomas works his magic once again to deliver another solid remix, this time of Sweden’s indie pop darlings Shout Out Louds latest single “Illusions”, taken from their recently released fourth album “Optica”.

Prepare yourself for epic nine-minute journey. Summer is looking bright. Give it a spin above and enjoy the ride!

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Goldroom: “Only You Can Show Me” (feat. Mereki) Video

DATE:
May 10th, 2013
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News
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Here’s the fun video for Goldroom’s latest single “Only You Can Show Me”, featuring the sweet vocals from Mereki. Peep the clip above, and grab his brilliant remix of The Knocks’ “Modern Hearts” below if you haven’t already.

Directed by Jake Gibson.

mpFree: The Knocks feat. St. Lucia: “Modern Hearts” [Goldroom Remix]

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Great news! French maestro Yuksek has just launched his own label, called Partyfine. As he says: “The label is a natural extension of my past years where I have produced for other artists. I met many of Partyfine’s collaborators this way (JD Samson, The Magician, Oh Land, Juveniles) and just felt like extending the experience, writing music with them, not just for them.”

The label’s first release comes from Yuksek himself. It features two fantastic original tracks in collaboration with Danish pop singer Oh Land and French electro-pop duo Juveniles, whose debut album Yuksek is producing. The EP, backed with remixes by Michael Garcon, Sam Tiba, and Kasper Bjørke, arrives on May 13th. The second release will come from Peter & The Magician, his side-project with Stephen Fasano.

Get a taste with this amazing disco remix of Yuksek’s “Last Of Our Kinds”, featuring Oh Land, by Michael Garcon (from AS Dragon). It’s partyfine!

Download the remix here

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