flux.

This post is syndicated from Indie Shuffle.

Sounds like: Ulrich Schnauss, Caribou

What’s so good?

As I exited Hollywood’s Music Box last Tuesday night after being blown away by Girls, a smiley dude approached with a handful of flyers for an upcoming show. “Tycho, at the Echo?” he said with a grin, half-expecting me to blow him off on the unusually chilly evening as show goers quickly walked by. “What?! Yes. I’ll take one!” I tucked the flyer neatly into my handbag, gingerly placing it on my desk the next morning like a newborn baby owl. Not only in a semi-reverent state of a recently neglected lifeline for live music, but to also serve as a reminder to buy tickets, dammit!

I was eager to get lost in the live setting that only Tycho’s signature stylings can provide. Tycho is an artist in every sense of the word: a musician, a virtuoso, a creator, and an artistic treasure of our generation. A thoughtful sea of his gentle and expansive electronic beats can heal even the crustiest of curmudgeons from the inside out!

And I also had two drink tokens burning a hole in my pocket, leftover from aspeaking engagement at The Echo a few weeks back!

Tycho, known in the design world as ISO50, is the one-person prodigy of Scott Hansen. Hailing from San Francisco, the West Coast inspiration is absolutely evident in his work. His sound matches to pictures through his video installation work and invokes visuals of endless coastlines, waves moving in a rhythmic slow motion, and the warm feeling of sunshine on the back of your neck. The soaring ambient rhythms are beautiful in any setting. Paired alongside a backing band and live video projections, his dreamlike landscape truly comes to life.

As I listen to it now while nursing coffee and avoiding doing “real world things,” I can’t help but notice how the album sounds somewhat bottled in comparison to the full, sonic soundscapes appropriate to music of the electronic genre, particularly when a full band is involved. Not only a treat but circumstanced evidence that the live music experience will never die.

Tycho’s new album Dive is out now on Ghostly International.

Baths is 21-year old Will Wiesenfeld, a So-Cal native who grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Playing various instruments since the age of 4, he began to produce electronic music at 13.  Recording under the monikers [Post-Foetus] and Geotic, both projects combined sound design, ambient soundscapes and live instrumentation, laying the groundwork for what was to come.

Baths, the next installment of Will’s musical evolution, takes his artistry to another level in all aspects of being a self-taught musician, songwriter and producer. The much-anticipated and multi-dimensional album is where his influences collide, merging musically-trained sensibilities with the nuances of electronic music – fittingly par for the course in a time when the boundaries between the two are becoming increasingly blurred.

Below, Will speaks to his process, inspirations, and more. Check it out!

What was the writing process like for this record? As your first LP under the name Baths, were there any new discoveries?

I made sure that nothing was premeditated. Most of my material under the name [Post-foetus] had very specific ideas before i ever sat down and started recording, but (at least for this first album) I wanted a departure from that sort of writing process. I made sure to just immediately start recording and having fun before I thought too deeply about anything

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Björk! The ultimate for me. But in truth, never been much of a good collaborator… I’m learning

As a musician, how do you think classical songwriting affects the way electronic music is produced? Do the two go hand-in-hand?

Classical training goes well with composing in any genre of music, let alone electronic music. There are ideas and processes that bleed through that I can’t think of off the top of my head, but I know that it has helped me tremendously. I can translate the things happening in my head much faster than I’d otherwise be able.

Finally, what inspires you?

Everything?! Romance, animation, Japanese everythinggggg, men, water… I can’t keep track. Don’t know at any one moment what will become an inspiration.

Cerulean is out now.

iTunes | Amazon

Watch the video for “Lovely Bloodflow” (premiered last week on Pitchfork):

Discover more at Anticon

Similar Artists: Daedelus, Bibio