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viewing 1 To 7 of 7 items
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12"
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SONGSAYS 008EP
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Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Visuals debuts on thesongsays with the beautifully well-rounded EP The State Of Things, following his 2013 debut EP on Nicolas Jaar's Other People imprint (OP 005EP), and continues to excel with his distinctive vocal style, melodic richness, and the acute subtlety of his lyrical content. The title-track is pure tropical melancholia, with quirky textures and post-production courtesy of DARKSIDE member Dave Harrington. On the flip, the buoyant bassline and infectious chorus of "Days Of Our Youth" precede closer "No Handle" -- pensive, deep, and hypnotic for the noir corners of early-morning dancefloors.
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2LP
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SONGSAYS 006LP
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First vinyl edition of Lovers Do by Bruno Pronsato, originally released as a CD in 2011 (SONG 006CD). Bruno Pronsato has always kept busy with various projects, including Others, his experimental house outfit with Daze Maxim; Public Lover, his duo with the French artist Ninca Leece; and his work with Sammy Dee as Half Hawaii, which has released on Perlon and Diamonds & Pearls. As half of the duo Ndf, he coproduced "Since We Last Met," a single that marked his debut on DFA and landed in Pitchfork's "Top 100 Tracks of 2010" staff list. But as Bruno Pronsato was juggling all of these different projects, one piece of music was slowly taking shape -- his third and most immersive album, Lovers Do. Like much of his work to date, Lovers Do is experimental without being snobby -- or, in the artist's words, "accidentally avant-garde" -- but this one takes it further than the others. It has a looseness that's truly rare in techno; scrapping formulaic verses and breaks, it winds along like an abstract sketch, guided by intuition instead of logic. Some songs are fraught with nervous tension while others are soothing and rich with detail that ranges from dappling Rhodes to orchestral swells, jazzy drum fills, and wet hand claps. Human voices swirl in and out of the mix, serving only to make things more surreal. Many of the tracks stretch well beyond ten minutes, though one bows out after less than three. Overall, the album is delicate and subtle, but it also features one of Bruno Pronsato's best club tunes, the eerie and delirious "Feel Right." Bruno Pronsato spent two years composing Lovers Do at his home studio in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. His muse Ninca Leece makes scattered cameos throughout. Brian Eno once described his own music as a place one occupies rather than a thing that happens; Lovers Do is such a place -- a lovely, impressionistic scene with amber tones, murky figures, dim streetlights, and dusty shadows.
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CD
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SONGSAYS 007CD
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Public Lover's debut album, A Broken Shape Of You, shows Bruno Pronsato and Ninca Leece doing what they do best: electronic avant-pop with a playful touch of romance. The album comes third in their short catalog, after their EP Musique D'Hiver Pour L' Été, released on Pronsato's label, Thesongsays, and Naked Figures, a more upbeat but equally elegant effort for Telegraph. Both records revealed Public Lover to be something rather fresh: an electronic duo that has both production savvy and lyrical finesse. With A Broken Shape Of You, this budding dynamic reaches maturity, creating what is surely one of the best albums of the year. There are two sides to Public Lover -- the indie group and the production duo -- and the tension between these two gives the album its momentum. At times it's driven by Ninca Leece's singing. The title track sets the scene with a string of potent images: "cold sunshine," "frosted window pane," "shadows of you and I." On "Under Your Tongue," she keeps us guessing with ambiguous metaphors: "It's something, to keep under your tongue, it's something, between your teeth." "I Try," one of the duo's best songs and the only previously-released one here, strikes the album's most melancholy note with those simple two words speaking volumes as they repeat. "Your Eyes Taste Like Mine" follows a similar blueprint: the oblique title phrase becomes more meaningful and more mysterious as the song floats on. At other times, the album's pop element subsides, letting its unique production take the fore. From the first note of the opening song -- a distant, quivering minor chord -- it's clear the album's aural palette is something truly inspired. Pronsato has always earned accolades for his impeccable sound design, but his key strengths are in texture and rhythm; Ninca Leece, a trained vocalist and indie artist at heart, fills in the gaps with her ear for warmth and melody. Dusty piano keys bounce off polished kick drums, surreal vocal lines float above imperfect hand claps, and room noise and vocal outtakes (two of Pronsato's trademarks) give the mix a sonorous dimension. Delivered in hues of pale winter light, the album has a wispy, almost weightless feel -- something thanks in part to Stefan Betke, better known as Pole, the esteemed dub techno artist, who mastered the album. A Broken Shape Of You is something many electronic albums are not: understated, elliptical, and most importantly, personal.
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CD
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SONGSAYS 006CD
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It was in 2008 that Bruno Pronsato released his last album, Why Can't We Be Like Us (HELLO 010CD), and in the meantime he's kept very busy -- primarily with side projects. First there was Others, his experimental house outfit with Daze Maxim. Then came Public Lover, his duo with the French artist Ninca Leece that debuted last year on The Song Says (Bruno's label). He's continued to join forces with Sammy Dee as Half Hawaii, playing live shows around Europe and putting out tracks on Perlon and Diamonds & Pearls. As half of the duo Ndf, he co-produced Since We Last Met, a single that marked his debut on DFA and landed in Pitchfork's top tracks of the year. But while he was juggling all these different projects, one piece of music was slowly taking shape: his third and most immersive album, Lovers Do. Like much of Bruno's work to date, Lovers Do is experimental without being snobby -- or to use his own term, "accidentally avant garde" -- but this one takes it further than the others. It has a looseness that's truly rare in techno; scrapping formulaic verses and breaks, it winds along like an abstract sketch, guided by intuition instead of logic. Some songs are fraught with nervous tension, others are soothing and rich with detail, from dappling Rhodes to orchestral swells, jazzy drum fills and wet hand claps. Human voices swirl in and out of the mix, serving only to make things more surreal. Many of the tracks stretch well beyond ten minutes; one bows out after less than three. The album overall is delicate and subtle, but it also features Bruno's best club tune in years, the eerie and delirious "Feel Right." Brian Eno once described his own music as a place you occupy rather than a thing that happens. Lovers Do is such a place; a lovely, impressionistic scene with amber tones and murky figures, dim street lights and dusty shadows. Bruno spent two years composing Lovers Do at his home studio in Prenzaluerberg, Berlin. His muse Ninca Leece makes scattered cameos throughout the record, and "Feel Right" features vocals from a raft of Bruno's friends and contemporaries, including Vera, Margaret Dygas, Marc Schneider, Marco Rafanelli, Alex Petit and Pheek.
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12"
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SONGSAYS 005EP
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These are two tracks from Bruno Pronsato's album, Lovers Do. "Anybody But You" sets a wobbly vibraphone over a steady bass line and threads of indistinguishable vocals. On "Feel Right," Bruno invites friends, producers and casual acquaintances to lend their voices. With almost 50 contributors including the likes of Vera, Margret Dygas, and Anthony Collins telling you to "feel right," how can you not? A tangle of noise holds the track together, floating alongside a thick bass line and off-kilter percussion.
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12"
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SONGSAYS 004EP
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Public Lover (Bruno Pronsato & Ninca Leece) locked themselves away in their Prenzlauer Berg studio in January. Their mission: creating music for summer. Musique D'Hiver Pour L'Été rides the line between romantic techno and sultry disco with warm instrumentation and a special emphasis on an intentional lo-fi production. Ninca's balmy vocals and jazzy keyboard hooks are the backdrop for a night on the town while Bruno's tight rhythm section is the reason to go home and wrap up with your lover.
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12"
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SONGSAYS 003EP
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With an album already under her belt on Bureau B, Ninca Leece brings her forward-thinking productions to Thesongsays, and romantic techno moves forward. "Feed Me Rainbows" features soft kicks, bubbling bass lines, and a single guitar plucking harmonies, underpinned by a strangely disharmonic whine. The Public Lover (Leece and Bruno Pronsato) remix features a huge bass line, Rhodes, and the couple singing in her native French, grabbing minute pieces here and there from the original along the way.
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