After 3.5 million streams of their spellbinding debut track ‘Not Afraid’ which was supported by MrSuicideSheep, Parisian production duo Basic Tape commence a new deal with Parlophone with the release of their brand new single ‘So Good’.
With ‘So Good’, Basic Tape demonstrate a real talent for crafting mesmersing music which immediately places itself on repeat in your mind. It’s heady combination of fervent vocals, a pulsating funk groove and a striking chorus creates an immediately uplifting mood-changer and a magical moment of 21st century pop. As one comment in support of ‘Not Afraid’ stated: “New Basic Tape means new awesomeness.”
“It’s easier to write sad songs, but it’s not as rewarding as writing a happy song that can really lift people up after they’ve had a bad day,” says Basic Tape’s Sav. “That’s really important to us right now.”
Sav and his Basic Tape partner Ben met on a sound engineering course in Paris five years ago. At the time, Ben was more interested in the intricate structures of progressive rock and he still utilises that background now by contributing live guitar to many of their productions, while local native Sav was enamoured by the club-meets-pop side of the dance music scene.
Their music evolved at a rapid pace as it transitioned to the electronic pop that we hear today. Like many young French people, Basic Tape’s lives have been soundtracked by the creativity of Daft Punk, but they also cite Ed Banger artists Sebastian and Cassius as influences as much as the multi-genre mainstream mastermind Max Martin.
Even their choice of moniker echoes their style: basic reflects their focus on deceptively simple melodies, while tape recalls their childhoods in which they’d record tracks from the radio onto cassette. The result is music with a French core yet that’s also informed by a wider range of cultures and genres.
Thinking globally rather than locally, Basic Tape started out with a DIY promotional strategy by pitching their music direct to blogs and YouTube channels meant that the duo soon realised that Basic Tape was a project with the potential to become their full-time focus. Even their choice of bootleg remixes (Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding, J-Lo) was aimed at maximising their visibility online. By picking big name artists and popular songs that hadn’t receive much in the way of remixes, their name soon spread to a following of like-minded fans.
Their reputation was also furthered through an official remix of Alesso’s ‘Heroes’; the ‘Bright Side’ collab with Mozambo; select shows as guests to Galantis, Madeon and Odesza; and at TheSoundYouNeed’s live events.
