- A Herculean dance music tête-à-tête from Montreal by way of Glasgow.
- Tiga Sontag has always taken a sleek (and often chic) approach to music. He commands an infectious je ne sais quoi rockstar quality that makes him stand out as a producer, one who walks a "very fine line between pop and club music," as written in these pages. At the other end of the sonic spectrum is Ross Birchard, AKA Hudson Mohawke, better known for his maximal production style: big synths, dexterous bass melodies and anthemic songwriting qualities that transcend hip-hop tropes and clichés.
Both producers' styles are vastly different. On their new album, L'Ecstasy, the result of four years of studio grafting together, these long-term friends have fused their wildest dreams and flung their inhibitions to the wind. Shards of electro, breakbeat, synth pop, soft R&B, techno and house make up this strange brew, inspired by the idea of "hardcore romance." The duo look back lovingly on various styles and individuals that have inspired or influenced them over the years, all living together in one unassuming "place lost in time."
Birchard's fingerprints are all over "Love Minus Zero," the lead single. It features one of his distinctive synth lines, tight drums and soaring swoons from vocalist Gina Kushka, all blended into what feels like the ideal tune to close out a large festival stage. Another signature Birchard synth melody underlines the kind of unapologetically indie pop songwriting that made Tiga a household name in the electroclash days. Neatly deployed around a driving bassline and Birchard's synths, it's the best example of their unique musical and lyrical styles coming together on the record.
There are surprises and some risqué moments. The uplifting horns and vocals on "Ascending Into The Clouds"—featuring Elisabeth Troy, who lent her voice to many classic MJ Cole tracks—evoke the mood and style Classic Euphoria and Clubland compilations that were an omnipresent fixture on music store CD shelves in the mid-'00s. The guest vocalists lend their own swagger to the duo's nostalgic sound, including a soaring chorus from Abra on "Velvet Sky Of Dreams"—where hardcore romance really comes to life—while Channel Tres drops affirmations on the roof-raiser "Feel The Rush." Jesse Boykins III steals the show on "Silence Of Love," his divine vocals layered over a chugging acid lead, resonant piano chords and tight claps. It reminds me of Traumprinz's spiritual house music.
Sontag and Birchard have collaborated with a lot of high-profile producers over the years, to varying degrees of success. Here, they're kindred studio spirits who have poured a lot of themselves into their shared record. L'Ecstasy is unapologetically honest with a turn-of-the-century sense of rave hedonism that feels a world away from the harder rhythms of today's clubland, and right at home in the hands of two singular dance music producers.
Tracklist01. Exit Warehouse At Dawn
02. TR Smooth
03. Night Is Not
04. VSOD
05. Feel The Rush feat. Channel Tres
06. BUYBUYSELL
07. Love Minus Zero
08. Natural Spirit
09. Silence Of Love feat. Jesse Boykins III
10. Theme From Borneo Function
11. Duro
12. Polyvoxx
13. Ascending Into The Clouds feat. Elisabeth Troy
14. LMZNIN
15. winter crush
16. IN ORDER 2