La Mverte – Influences

As a child, I began to discover music by browsing and picking in my parents’ cd collection. My mother was mostly into jazz, motown and disco, my father more into rock and new wave. I clearly remember when he made me listen to the Depeche Mode Live 101, telling me he saw them live at the time. I was captivated, magnetized by the music and the fantasy of feeling the music live. This is definitely one of the moments that led to me getting into music. So, this track, and especially this remix, is really important to me, as a production and the memories it holds. This is also one of the bands that is key for me and my friend Yan (Wagner, who appears on the track Crash Course and also runs his great solo project under his own name).

I couldn’t have picked influential tracks without selecting one of Todotodo’s. This band is definitely a great influence for me. All the sounds, the patterns, the build-ups, everything talks to me. Goose bumps, every single time. Funny thing is that, even if i have a spanish-sounding moniker, i don’t speak a single word of spanish. For the record, this nickname was actually suggested by my friend Hugo Capablanca based on my former duet moniker, as we were jamming with Philipp Gorbachev in Berlin (a jam that led to our track Berlin esta helado, released on Comeme). A great memory.

My friend Hugo helped me discover this tape during one of my stays at his place in Berlin. I really like this track, i must have listened to it hundreds of time. The themes, the guitar sound, the synth bass, i like everything. Moreover, despite the Roland CR-78 running through the track, everything else is played live, and as a consequence has what i surely like the most in this : mistakes. It creates a peculiar atmosphere, and of course the groove. I really like this idea, that unpleasant things, sounds, schemes or events can lead to pleasant effects and feelings.

” ‘Cause everybody wants what everybody’s got, and everybody’s got what everybody wants “. This band, and this track, is one of the many influences and likes we share with David (Shaw – Her Majesty’s Ship’s head), from the guitar sound to the drum machine pattern. These kinds of energy, atmosphere and universe are a for a great part what drives us, without a doubt.

My friend Ygal offered me this record for my birthday (or was it christmas ?) a couple years ago. And i remember myself instantly falling into this track. Its construction is perfect to me, it has exactly what it needs and nothing more, nothing less. Plus, the sometimes Kraftwerk-ian leads and the lyrics that could talk to every musician or music-oriented person, it is more than enough for this track to be a personal classic, and a great track to get lost to.

Another great one ! It could be subtitled ” I told you for a good reason to keep it simple, stupid “. A drum pattern, a bassline, a vocal and that’s it ! All the magic lays into modulation, hypnotism and of course, aciiiiiiiiiiiid ! I’m a great fan of the genre, and this one is one of my top 5. This track is such a pleasure to listen to as well as to dance to. It’s also a great milestone to me, production speaking. It reminds me to try to be essential.

This track, and especially this version, is also a (personal) classic. I can’t get out of it, even after having listening to or playing it for many years. This one is slower and softer than the other versions, but i must admit it’s my favorite. There are so many reasons that could explain why i am that much into it, but if i had to name one, it would be the rhythms. The patterns, the groove and the sounds are just perfect to me. I really can feel inspired by just listening to rhythmics and drum patterns, and modifying them in my head or by playing them. Always a good time where feeling the groove is more important than thinking it. PS : the vocals and the rest of the track kill it too, of course.

I think the music i make (or at least want to make) lays somewhere ” in the middle “. “In the middle of what?” i guess it’s a good question. But to me, this track is the perfect example of ” in the middle ” tracks that i love. The drum pattern is as crucial as the vocal, the bass is strained, but the keys are full of groove, early house oriented. I love this kind of construction, this kind of balance, this kind of atmosphere, where you don’t know where it goes (even if it goes there pretty surely). This kind of deviance is running through my ears and veins for sure.