Placebo eFx returned to Krafted Underground in full force, with two Progressive House tracks demonstrating their musical depth.
‘Lo-Fi’ featuring Shea Carter, paints a picture of a music lover searching for purpose in a world that’s over saturated with technology. Shea’s vocals are not only mesmerising but take the listener on a sonic journey through the eyes of an open hearted wanderer. With Placebo eFx’s bass heavy foundation & Carter’s vocal mastery – ‘Lo-Fi’ is bound to be a melodic favourite.
We caught up with the duo to speak about their new release and loads more. Read our chat, below.
T.H.E – Hey guys! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. What have you been up to lately?
Placebo eFx – We’re doing well. We just returned from ADE and went right back into the studio to finish up two projects. Things have gotten really busy in a short period of time. After the 1st EP picked up momentum, we’ve had a lot of remix requests pouring in so it’s back to the daily grind of boots and cats.
T.H.E – Let’s talk about your new ‘Lo-Fi’ EP, cool underground sounds & how was it working with Shea Carter on the title track?
Placebo eFx – Working with Shea is great, Lo-Fi came together rather quickly in one session. She always comes in with a ton of great ideas and we just start laying down tracks and moving things around. We’ve actually had a long working relationship with her, going back about 5 years on other projects. She’s extremely versatile with her sound and style, anything from airy like you hear on Lo-Fi to jazz and pop.
T.H.E – How did signing the EP come about, to the respected Krafted Underground label?
Placebo eFx – We released our first EP on Krafted Underground and were impressed with its recent success. Krafted has a solid reach and really put a lot behind the first EP so we wanted to keep the music flowing.
T.H.E – Considering you guys are based out of LA, how’s the scene there right now & is the progressive sound connecting well?
Placebo eFx – With being so close to Burning Man, there’s a lot of playa tech and minimal progressive music found throughout the city. Los Angeles has a very vibrant scene – you can really find anything here, but the progressive scene is really growing. It’s sort of a happy coincidence, but it feels like the right place and the right time for this project.
T.H.E – Do you also move outside of Progressive House, experimenting with other genres?
Placebo eFx – We tend to fit in between Progressive to Melodic Techno, but with all the new remix requests we are really trying to experiment in the studio, not only with genres but also with production techniques. We are currently working on a remix for Fernando Olaya which is turning out to be rather tribal. The direction of the remix took shape after we started recording random percussive sounds in the studio, banging on random things and making them into percussive loops. Maybe we took it too far breaking a few wooden spoons on the floor, but it sure makes for some really great textures. Don’t worry, no bystanders were injured during the recording session.
T.H.E – Which two artists would you most like to collaborate with?
Placebo eFx – We were shooting for Lil Pump and Kanye… but would be happy with Tale of Us and Maceo Plex. Just kidding, Tale of Us and Maceo all the way. 100%.
T.H.E – Lastly, 2018 is almost coming to a close. What are your plans for the rest of this year, in terms of production & releases?
Placebo eFx – We have our first track as part of the upcoming Deep Tech Los Angeles Vol. 3 out on Krafted Underground. We also just completed what we consider to be one of our best tracks called “Give Me a Reason”, which might have been a bit influenced by memories of early Maceo Plex productions. We’re also working on a remix for Suffused label, so shooting to have at least 3 releases prior to the end of the year.
Regarding production, we are still going to keep a focus on getting outside the box in the studio, whether that’s breaking more utensils or trying to re-wire the toaster into a DIY synth. Regardless of the outcome, it’s really just about having fun and getting creative. Thanks a lot for the questions and looking forward to seeing everyone out there on the dance floor.
