Madeaux Releases Self-Titled EP

Here at DAD we'll always love the underground, and so it is my pleasure to bring you the self-titled EP from Lessthan3's Madeaux. The mysterious prod

Here at DAD we'll always love the underground, and so it is my pleasure to bring you the self-titled EP from Lessthan3's Madeaux.  The mysterious producer released a four-track delight and though the release is short (totaling just over 17 minutes), there's a creative vision that exemplifies an artistic maturity and skill-set far beyond any standard debut. Furthermore, the release embodies a distinctly different approach to contemporary electronic music. Just listen to this EP and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Rather than conjuring up any more flowery language trying to encapsulate this release, I went straight to the source. In an exclusive conversation with the mystery, Madeaux explained the thinking behind each of the four tracks...

"I wanted to start the EP off with something more reminiscent of where I began with the Madeaux identity. With "Departed" I wanted to strip the track down to the bare R&B essentials. Keeping it half-time, textured, and really chill, I wanted to work it out as an exercise in minimalism because I usually try to fill up songs with so many different things."

"The premise behind "Transatlantic Rhapsody" was splicing a bunch of different ideas as well as sampled audio from all over the world to make this collage-esque, auditory journey into the uptempo world. I wanted to shake things up a little and try my hand at more dance-y music. When I began the song, I was imagining taking a flight across the ocean in the 60's, looking out the window from the comfort of this old plane and thinking about what an adventure it all was."

"I had worked with Beca over the summer remixing a song of her  called "Born to Fly", so I asked her if she'd be interested in working with me for a track of my own. At the time, I was listening to a bunch of Amon Tobin and Nico Jaar, so I was super intrigued with incorporating various grit and debris giving the track a different kind of atmosphere. Somehow everything came together to form this jazzy foray into 2-step and it's definitely one of my favorite tracks to date."

""Accidentals" got it's name because it came to fruition through a series of various serendipitous reinterpretations. The song's first concept was uplifting dance music which eventually gave way to breaks-y dubstep. Eventually the dubstep basses gave way to the chiptunes and industrial sequencers as well as the melancholic pianos. This led to dark progressive house and a simplification to the chord progression. Finally, I wanted to tie it back into the EP and set to work out the drums more similarly to Midnight Sun and the song was complete."

Overall, the EP is one of the strongest debuts I've heard in recent memory.  To put it simply, this EP exemplifies a true musicianship and artistry.  Part of what makes this EP a standout is that it is not just four tracks thrown together. From start to finish there's an artistic vision; unflinching in artistic integrity and style. There are no crazy drops, there are no cheesy uplifting progressions, and there are certainly no trite lyrics from [insert female vocalist here]. Just no gimmicks.  Throughout the EP's various movements, Madeaux flexes his artistry as he crafts a sonic love letter.  Taking that all into consideration, one might find this EP to be a bit inaccessible.  It's not going to be the life of the party, it's not going to get you amped-up, and so perhaps in the future we'll see more of the upbeat energy (as we see on "Transatlantic Rhapsody"), but for now we're more than happy to just class the place up.

PREMIERE: MADEAUX'S EP MIX

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