Blog Archives
Roosevelt – Getaway
Marius Lauber AKA Roosevelt’s ambitious and breathtakingly modern follow-up to his self-titled debut is out next month. Young Romance sees the German artist breaking free from the dance floor and stepping out into the light, effortlessly bridging that gap and asserting his place in the upper echelons of guitar and synth-pop royalty. Now less reliant on a four-to-the-floor kick drum as a rhythmic backbone, this sophomore record sees him embrace grooves of all shapes and sizes, as demonstrated on first single ‘Under the Sun,’ and most recent offering ‘Forgive,’ which featured the inimitable vocals of Ernest Green of Washed Out.
New single and final song on the album ‘Getaway’ is built around a pulsating and relentless baseline, culminating in an epic crescendo of layered synths and reverb-soaked guitars. A mid-tempo comedown from an album often littered with euphoric moments, it is one of Young Romance’s stand-out tracks, the slow burning and glorious finale it undoubtedly deserves. Marius has this to say on the track:
“Getaway was one of the last tracks I finished in the studio – I felt like there was the need for a track that didn’t follow a conventional song structure and just builds on the same chords. There’s something about not revealing a twist in the song, but instead to play with open cards from the beginning and to increase the tension dynamically through out the 5 minutes of the song. It’s meant to be a very lush and positive song about escaping to an imaginary place. Compared to the rest of the album it’s a very synthesizer-heavy track, most of the parts are played with a vintage Minimoog.” – Marius Lauber
‘Getaway’ is OUT NOW. Roosevelt’s sophomore album Young Romance is out September 28.
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Roosevelt – Moving On (Joe Goddard Remix)
Marius Lauber AKA Roosevelt released his self-titled debut album via City Slang last fall to much acclaim, with Entertainment Weekly proclaiming Roosevelt is “Breaking Big,” Last Call With Carson Daly interviewing him in a Snap Shot feature, and wide praise from The Guardian, Pitchfork, NPR Music, The Wall Street Journal, Stereogum, Paste, Clash, DJ Mag, The Independent, Dummy, and more. Today, Roosevelt announced the Remixed 2 EP, out May 12th, 2017 on City Slang, sharing the Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) remix of album single “Moving On.” Lauber says, “Feels good to finally have a retouch by the guy who signed me on his record label 4 years ago.” Listen here:
Along with the Greco-Roman label co-founder Joe Goddard,the new EPfeatures remixes by German legend and inspiration Justus Kohncke, fellow Cologne dance stars Andhim, US re-edit king Brennan Green, and personal friends Moscoman and Cleveland. Tracklist below.
Roosevelt – who sold-out multiple dates, including 2 NYC shows, on his first ever headlining U.S. tour last fall – returns stateside for a brief run before playing Governors Ball and crossing the pond again for festival season. A full itinerary is listed below. Roosevelt also recently shared the Hector Prats-directed video for “Moving On”: https://youtu.be/-4FWJmHfLC0
Written, recorded and produced by Lauber over a period of two years, Roosevelt the album is a pillow-soft hallucinatory dreamscape of nocturnal reveries and a lilting sense of melancholia, where sounds build and swell like waves. From a pinch of French electro pop, a smattering of LA yacht rock, the hypnotic repetition of German pioneers like Ash Ra Tempel/Manuel Göttsching, and Neu!, to classic floor-friendly 80s pop from Chic, Talk Talk, and New Order, even Todd Terje and Metro Area are all weaved into his own unique sonic tapestry.
Remixed 2 EP tracklist:
1. Moving On (Joe Goddard Remix)
2. Moving On (Andhim Remix)
3. Wait Up (Moscoman)
4. Fever (Justus Kohncke Remix)
5. Heart (Cleveland Remix)
6. Belong (Brennan Green Remix)
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Sinkane – Telephone (Roosevelt Remix)
To mark the start of a busy Spring/Summer of live shows, Sinkane shares a remix of his single ‘Telephone’ by Roosevelt.
“Roosevelt’s Telephone remix blew my mind. I’m a serious fan of space disco jams” explains Sinkane main man Ahmed Gallab. “That kind of treatment is low hanging fruit for this single. You can get lost in this remix. It has peaks and valleys. It takes you to outer space and brings you back home safe and sound.”
Hear Telephone (Roosevelt remix) here:
‘Telephone’ is the second single from Sinkane’s new alum ‘Life & Livin’ It’, which was released earlier this month via City Slang.
Sinkane music — every note of it — comes straight out of a generosity of spirit. Never has that spirit been on more vivid display than on ‘Life & Livin’ It.’ This is feel-good music for trying times, celebrating what makes life good without ignoring what makes it hard.
Recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas, and once again produced by Ahmed Gallab with lyrics and help from longtime collaborator Greg Lofaro, ‘Life & Livin’ It’ draws from the best elements of Sinkane’s previous records: the slinky funk and soul grooves are there, so are the sparkling melodies with roots in sub-Saharan Africa. With basic tracking played together live, the fun and immediacy of Sinkane’s live show is a central feeling of the recordings. The four members of Sinkane – Ish Montgomery (bass), Jason Trammell (drums), Jonny Lam (guitar), and now joined by Amanda Khiri (vocals) and Elenna Canlas (keys and vocals) – sang and play additional parts on every song, with Trammell contributing lyrics to “Theme from Life & Livin’ It,” and Lam helping with arrangements. Daptone recording artists Antibalas contributed horns.
‘Life & Livin’ It’ is the follow-up to Sinkane’s acclaimed 2015 album ‘Mean Love,’ for which the band played 166 shows in 20 countries, and Gallab’s time leading The Atomic Bomb Band — the highly celebrated 15-piece outfit that played the music of the late Nigerian electro-funk maestro William Onyeabor.
True to its name, ‘Life & Livin’ It’ is an album about all kinds of experiences. When Ahmed Gallab sings, he sounds unafraid yet vulnerable. But while he once sang of feeling like he was on the planet Mars, Ahmed is now firmly grounded on Earth. He’s no longer searching for his home — he has created a home for himself. There’s a party there, and ‘Life & Livin’ It’ is playing on the stereo. You are invited.
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Roosevelt – Colours (Tyler Pope Remix)
Marius Lauber AKA Roosevelt recently released his self-titled debut album to worldwide critical acclaim, including praise from Pitchfork, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, NPR Music, among many others, and just kicked off a North American tour with sold-out shows at LA’s The Echo and San Francisco’s The Chapel. Other upcoming dates include Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, a sold-out show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge (9/27) and a soon-to-sell-out show at Rough Trade (9/28), and more- see below for a full schedule.
Today, Roosevelt shares a new remix of the single “Colours” by Tyler Pope of LCD Soundsystem. Pope says: “I really liked the melodic sensibility of the original track so it was easy for me to remix. I imagined my remix to be a combination of the pop disco that was already there mixed with techno.” Listen here:
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Roosevelt – Colours (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
On August 19th Marius Lauber AKA Roosevelt releases his stunning, self-titled debut album via Greco-Roman / City Slang records. Now, the official remix of single ‘Colours’ by Norwegian maestro Prins Thomas takes Roosevelt’s already uplifting original and works it into a deep, piano laden hypno-euphoric dancefloor masterpiece, which is primed for maximum festival and dancefloor madness this Summer. As well as this original remix, Prins Thomas will be providing an instrumental version and Roosevelt will be releasing his own dub take on the single.
“The Oslo disco scene has always been a big influence on my own productions, so it’s a big honour for me to have Prins Thomas remix one of my tracks.” Lauber tells us, “I would often play his remixes in my own DJ sets, because his way of creating club-friendly tracks – that still include a Krautrock and effortless 70’s vibe – is really unique. I saw Prins Thomas play one of his 5 hour sets and was blown away by his ability to build a sonic landscape with so much patience, educating the crowd with his selection and creating tension over a few hours, rather than feeling the urge to please them every 2 minutes”
Written, recorded and produced by Lauber over a period of two years. ‘Roosevelt’ the album is a pillow-soft hallucinatory dreamscape of nocturnal reveries and a lilting sense of melancholia, where sounds build and swell like waves.
Roosevelt’s signature hazy sound which ascends ever skywards is still present and correct – but this time it’s honed, crafted and less loop based. ‘Roosevelt’ showcases Lauber as a fully developed recording artist, with an instinctive synthesis of different soundscapes. This is a record with a deep affinity to the dance music world unified with sophisticated, classic song structures.
Roosevelt’s growth was catalyzed by an early DJ residency at Kompakt’s Total Confusion party alongside Superpitcher & Michael Mayer, with the label also releasing an early remix of his for COMA. These experiences helped Lauber realize how dance music connects to its audience in a different way to what he’d experienced from earlier days spent performing in bands. “What I really enjoyed about DJing was that you could see the results immediately – there was feedback and interaction from the crowd”, he explains.
Following this nightclubbing baptism, his career as an electronic artist gathered momentum. With praise from a selection of taskemaker media, mixes for Boiler Room, Electronic Beats and i-D, support tours with Hot Chip and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and a litany of high-profile festival slots around the world, Lauber steadily built up a dedicated following.
Photo by Brian Vu.
Tracklist
‘Colours’ (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
‘Colours’ (Roosevelt Dub)
‘Colours’ (Prins Thomas Diskomiks Instrumental)
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Video: Coma – Happiness
‘Happiness’ is taken from COMA’s second album ‘This Side Of Paradise’ which is out now via Kompakt. The single features fellow German singer/producer Marius Lauber, aka Roosevelt, on drums. Video directed by Lenny Rothenberg.
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Video: Roosevelt – Colours / Moving On
On August 19th Marius Lauber AKA Roosevelt releases his stunning, self-titled debut album via Greco-Roman / City Slang records.
To mark its launch Roosevelt unveils this video, which features two tracks from the album – ‘Colours’ and ‘Moving On’. This double-bill approach gives more insight into the album than the usual standard one song video format, but the intention was creative as much as it was practical.
With a surreal sensitivity akin to his previous videos, ‘Colours’ stars Roosevelt alongside various characters in an abstract exploration of the five senses (touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing). The segue into ‘Moving On’ then follows the protagonists’ walk from their dream-like state into an everyday street scene, where they find themselves lost in the sensory overload of real world modern life.
Roosevelt’s signature hazy sound which ascends ever skywards is still present and correct on the album – but this time it’s honed, crafted and less loop based. ‘Roosevelt’ showcases Lauber as a fully developed recording artist, with an instinctive synthesis of different soundscapes. This is a record with a deep affinity to the dance music world unified with sophisticated, classic song structures.
The glistening and gently undulating disco of ‘Night Moves’ features uplifting layers of delicately constructed guitars atop propulsive beats and expanding acid synths lines, whilst ‘Moving On’ utilizes Balearic slo-mo percussive grooves to mesmerising effect. The Tangerine Dream-esque ’Belong’ is pure euphoria, ‘Heart’ is a bright and breezy airborn anthem, and the stunning sunrise instrumental hypnosis of ‘Daytona’ blends seamlessly into the sublime, cooly life-affirming ‘Fever’.
Influences span continents and decades – from a pinch of French electro pop, a smattering of LA yacht rock, the hypnotic repetition of German pioneers like Ash Ra Tempel/Manuel Göttsching and Neu!, to classic floor-friendly 80s pop from Chic, Talk Talk and New Order. Nu school figureheads like Floating Points, Todd Terje and Metro Area are also partially audible – all weaved into his own unique sonic tapestry.
Roosevelt’s growth was catalyzed by an early DJ residency at Kompakt’s Total Confusion party alongside Superpitcher & Michael Mayer, with the label also releasing an early remix of his for COMA. These experiences helped Lauber realize how dance music connects to its audience in a different way to what he’d experienced from earlier days spent performing in bands. “What I really enjoyed about DJing was that you could see the results immediately – there was feedback and interaction from the crowd”, he explains.
The darkness hinted at in the title of ’Night Moves’ is also a nod to the energy you can get from a well-timed crowd climax. “It’s about the situation at night in a club when the energy is created as the night comes to an end,” he says. “The later the night gets there’s this peak of energy and people are having the illusion that there’s no end to it, and that power is incredibly strong.”
Following this nightclubbing baptism, his career as an electronic artist gathered momentum. With praise from a selection of taskemaker media, mixes for Boiler Room, Electronic Beats and i-D, support tours with Hot Chip and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and a litany of high-profile festival slots around the world, Lauber steadily built up a dedicated following.
Written, recorded and produced by Lauber over a period of two years. ‘Roosevelt’ the album is a pillow-soft hallucinatory dreamscape of nocturnal reveries and a lilting sense of melancholia, where sounds build and swell like waves.
Tracklisting:
1. ‘Intro’
2. ‘Wait Up’
3. ‘Night Moves’
4. ‘Belong’
5. ‘Moving On’
6. ‘Heart’
7. ‘Colours’
8. ‘Sea’
9. ‘Daytona’
10. ‘Fever’
11. ‘Hold On’
12. ‘Close’
Pre-order the album here.
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Roosevelt – Small Hours
Following the self-assured debut single ‘Sea‘ and tracks such as ‘Elliot‘ and ‘Montreal‘ last year, Cologne-born and Berlin-based Roosevelt has very quickly found fans in a short space of time.
Easing the pace after his debut ‘Elliot’ EP caused a stir late last year, he’s covered John Martyn’s ‘Small Hours’ – an ambient masterpiece from 1977 which is a firm favourite in the warm-up sets of Greco-Roman, the party collective and record label to whom he is signed.
Recently playing the Pitchfork party at last week’s SXSW, Roosevelt is working on new material which you should keep an eye open for!
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Roosevelt – Montreal
Greco-Roman’s Roosevelt has been making a mighty fine impression of late with his hazy house charms, as heard on the kaleidoscopic ‘Elliot‘ EP, out now on Greco-Roman. You may have heard the title track and seen the bizarrely brilliant video for ‘Elliot’, but now you can stream a fresh cut from the EP, the previously unheard ‘Montreal’. Roof-down-hands-in-the-air kinda vibes permeate ‘Montreal’ – something Berlin-based Marius Lauber a.k.a. Roosevelt, never fails to deliver.
SERIALGK 