We called him one of the most underrated producers, and we're still waiting for his Essential Mix, so you can imagine the excitement we have for Anjunabeats' special ingredient Andrew Bayer's upcoming album If It Were You, We'd Never Leave. The album, which is due out on April 22 via Anjunabeats, is the second LP from Mr. Bayer (this first being the 2011 release, It's Artificial). Bayer has always marched to the beat of his own drum, defying genre limitations and expectations, delivering a style that is so uniquely his. Whether it's his ominous yet deep club mixes, his warm downtempo electronica, his sun-soaked progressive house, Andrew Bayer creates sonic bliss. Although much of his music is often over the heads of new dance fans, Mr. Bayer has held firm in his desire to create throughly unique music in a time where it seems like every producer wants to simply replicate another with minimal changes. While his debut LP It's Artificial featured only bits of his downtempo, leftfield stylings, If It Were You, We'd Never Leave is sure to expand on this, leaving his progressive house roots firmly on the side.
In a piece featured on Anjunabeats.com, the American producer calls the album "a total experiment," and that it was a "self-realization piece that slowly evolved." Citing his enviousness of hip-hop producers knack for sampling, Bayer eventually decided to do it on his own, before realizing that he was on to something and that he had to keep going: "One day, I sat down and decided to sample music I love, and that speaks to me. So I did. I wrote a track based around samples from Sufjan Stevens. My friends didn't think it was half bad, so I ran back into the studio the next day and sampled Ane Brun and Deb Talan: two incredible female singer songwriters whom I learned about at Berklee. I had these three tracks going and realised there was no looking back at this point." Expanding on his inspiration for the album, Bayer continued, "It wasn't even a choice really at this point, I knew I had this thing that I had to get out. I hadn't written selfish music in a while, and this felt really good to do. It was music for me, and about pictures and places in my life"
Bayer also explained that the album was created in intended in parts. "My second album "If It Were You, We'd Never Leave" is presented in three different movements. The first section is dark, brooding, angry, distorted, and chaotic. Through the chaos we have the same delicate instruments I'm using later on in the record, such as toy piano, music box, and strings, but they are layered with metallic tones and swampy textures. The next section is sample based, airy, and dreamy, produced like a classic hip-hop record (a la J Dilla). Then the third section is introduced by "Gaff's Eulogy" and sets the tone for clean, punchy beats interspersed with epic chord progressions, builds, and euphoric breaks."
The album is not only of particular note because of Bayer's own sonic excellence, but it marks a departure from the typical Anjunabeats fare. While they have become heavyweights in the trance, progressive house (actual progressive house that is), and deep house worlds, this album will be devoid of any of those styles. When we talk about the maturation of American electronic music, this is exactly what we're referring to. Sophisticated in nature and not necessarily the most accessible, the album is sure to reward upon multiple re-listens. But for all of that, the album will also test audience's patience as Bayer will undoubtedly reach into sonically unfamiliar territory, and as such continue to go over the heads of many.
Although the album was originally slated for a release today, the album now comes out next Monday, April 22nd. You can pre-order it via iTunes, grab the free single "It's Going To Be Fine" via XLR8R, and check out the sampler below.
