Zeitgeist: Anoraak [live] / Plastic Plates / Joakim [dj set]

When Frederic Riviere says something along the lines of “the sun and the sea are really important to me,” it’s easy to think, ‘Oh great, another chillwave artist who enjoys long walks on the beach and sitting on the dock of the bay all day.

If only things were that simple. While he’s certainly into laser-guided synth lines and sepia-toned nostalgia trips, Riviere’s debut album as Anoraak (Wherever the Sun Sets) is more indebted to Italo disco, Motown-schooled funk and sepia-toned pop music—think: M83 on Ecstasy—than anything that’s lo-or-glo-fi. Which makes sense. After all, it’s not like the French producer/singer/multi-instrumentalist picked up his first battery-powered keyboard yesterday. Truth be told, Anoraak began as a bedroom-based project about eight years ago, as Riviere searched for sound engineer work and found nothing but bar gigs.

“Everyone is an engineer in Paris,” he explains. “It’s like coming to L.A. and trying to be an actor.”

Riviere reached a breaking point soon enough, after his role in several indie rock bands started to feel like “just another job.” Determined to find his calling in the West of France, Riviere joined his old friends in Nantes (a city Time once called the most livable spot in all of Europe) and helped launch the Valerie collective/blog. Before he knew it, Riviere was channeling his childhood on the Nightdrive With You EP, a buzz-stirring attempt at everything from moon-lit club music (the title track) to Boards of Canada-inspired IDM (“Endless Summer”).

“They make really deep music,” Riviere says, referring to the legendary Warp duo, “songs that make you feel good and bad at the same time.”

Similar traces of melancholy slip into Wherever the Sun Sets (see: the richly-layered instrumental loops of “Midnight Sunset”) as well. But let’s be honest—it’s a feel-good full-length for the most part., a seamless blend of live and programmed elements that’s essentially an electronic take on the SoCal rock LPs (Weezer, That Dog) that Riviere loved as a kid growing up in the South of France (the Medieval city where Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was filmed, if you must know). SoCal in spirit, at least, as standout tracks like “Try Me” and “Long Hot Summer Night” absolutely nail the essence of being on a beach without a care in the world. And then there’s “Don’t Be Afraid” and “Dolphins & Highways,” a pair of from-dusk-’til-dawn ballads that feature an alt-disco diva (Sally Shapiro) and Scottish folk singer (Siobhan Wilson) respectively.

“It’s a back-to-the-’80s vibe that has no boundaries,” Riviere explains. “if something’s cheesy, it’s cheesy. I have no problem with that, so long as it moves you.”

Plastic Plates is the Dj/producer alias of Felix Bloxsom. Originally hailing from Sydney Australia, Felix is now based in Los Angeles. Plastic Plates’ distinct synthy disco sound has attracted both indie, dance and mainstream pop artists to commission remixes from Felix. These artists include Adele, Sia, Body Language, The Presets, Sam Sparro, The Human League, Sneaky Sound System, The Magician, Katy Perry and Mark Ronson and more…

2012 saw the release of Plastic Plates’ debut EP Things I didn’t Know I Loved” on french tastemaker record label Kitsune, with a slew of remixes to boot. With almost 2 million plays on Soundcloud and regular appearances in the Hype Machine top 10, Plastic Plates’ popularity around the world is steadily growing. This has taken him to all corners of the world to DJ extensively through Europe, the USA, Central and South America, Russia, Asia and Australia.

Stay tuned for new original releases and plenty more remixes in 2013!

One of France’s foremost electronic musicians, Joakm has a background in classical music, US & UK indie rock and jazz. He discovered electronic music after a schoolfriend left his synthetiser in Joakim’s room, later latching onto indie and electronic labels such as Warp and Mo Wax. His first album ‘Tiger Sushi’ was ambient electro-jazz, before he moved onto electronics with ‘Fantômes’ [2003], and later ‘Monsters and Silly Songs’ [2007], on which he combines post-rock, disco, electronics and, well, silly songs. “Making a pure dance album would almost be like composing an album entirely in F major,” says Joakim. “I jump from one idea to the next. I simply have to try everything and see where it leads.”

Joakim runs the Tigersushi label, releases a broad spectrum of music including Maurice Fulton, E.S.G, Poni Hoax and Metro Area. Joakim does live sets, DJs and he’s also a remixer; he’s recut tunes from Tiga, Air and Antena’s ‘Camino Del Sol’ – the latter of which was one of the biggest club tunes of 2006. Finally, he also has a live band, Joakim and the Ectoplasmic Band, on which he plays machines, keyboards, guitars and sings. Fingers in many pies then.