The Answer – an exhilarating four-song collaboration from Chris Lake and Armand Van Helden – was released by Black Book Records/Astralwerks.
The legendary producers shared the official video for the lead single/title track, “The Answer” ft. Arthur Baker and Victor Simonelli. Director Adrian Villagomez perfectly captures the song’s ethos of inclusion and love. The action unfolds in an unexpected setting: a desert battlefield. Amid the dunes, troops watch incredulously as an enemy soldier advances toward them, strips off his protective gear, and begins dancing with abandon. Peace lies in the balance as the troops and their leader contemplate a response to the unique challenge to their territory.
‘Why Can’t We See’ gave us our mantra for making the record: love is the answer,” explains Armand Van Helden. “The title track came together so quickly. We just followed the energy in the room.”
The uplifting “Feel So Good” percolates with joy and sensuality and embodies Lake’s approach to making music. He explains, “All I’m really looking for is to get people on the dancefloor, and by the time they finish they realize, ‘Oh, God, my feet really hurt.’ I want them to dance and let go and feel good.”
The effervescent “Work!” was inspired by Van Helden’s tales of the vibrant New York City voguing scene of the ’90s. Chris Lake recalls, “We wrote ‘Work!’ whilst imagining there being a big vogue-off to the song.” The groovy, silken “Dubai Dublin” perfectly rounds out the EP.
