The Brvtalist is pleased to premier a new track from FadeFace. The New York producer and DJ is set to launch his new EP, Artifacts, on his own Lemos imprint. The release is contains three originals plus one remix from heavy hitter Thomas Hessler. For this EP, the artist traverses a multitude of atmospheres, ethereal synths and heavy kicks for some excellent techno experimentations that find their way at home in many situations.

Artifacts is out April 29th on vinyl and digital and you can get yours on Bandcamp. I’ve known Otavio (FadeFace) for some time now and glad to present this great Q&A where we discuss the release, New York and beyond. (see below)

-JRS

The Brvtalist: Artifacts is the fourth release on Lemos. How do you think the label has evolved since the first release?

FadeFace: Well first off I’d like to say thank you so much for having me. It really is a pleasure and love all that you guys have been doing. In the beginning of 2020, I had already been making a ton of new music that I wanted to share with everyone. Then the pandemic hit and it was a perfect opportunity for me to sit down, think about what it was I wanted to express and to put out the music. The label and I have grown exponentially since the start of the pandemic. Lemos, at first was a digital label meant only to be a platform for my own creative expression but now I'm slowly getting more and more collaborators involved in the making of not just the music, but also the artwork. I’ve also learned a whole lot about what it takes to run a label and to release a piece of art. I had no idea all the work that went into pressing and promoting a record as well as all the expenses that went into it. It's been a healthy learning process.

TB: Tell us about recording Artifacts. What inspired the record and talk about any themes involved and also the remixer, Thomas Hessler.

FF: Recording this EP was so much fun and very quick as well. I think I recorded the whole entire EP over a weekend. I actually started with the making of variation two and due to there being only about 4 to 5 elements to it, It allowed me to actually record a live jam of me performing the song. The rest of the EP was recorded similarly but with more editing in post with the multi-track in ableton afterwards.

The inspiration for the record came from my experience at the club. Usually when I go out, a particularly favorite part of my night is often times closing. Picture this, maybe the party has been going on for the past day and the DJ who is playing is closing with maybe 10 hours left before the night is over. There’s a lot of space on the dance floor, and only the people who will be there until the end remain there. No talking. Everyone is just in their own trance. The DJ begins to play this type of Minimal Techno with lots of movement and drones. That's where the theme and inspiration came from for this record. I wanted to make an EP for that exact moment in time.

As for Thomas, I’ve been a fan of his since the release of his record Eclipse. We met when we played together at Basement NYC along with Oliver Ho. I was so happy to find that Thomas was not only a phenomenal Dj and Producer but as well as one of the sweetest people I have ever met. He is a really nice guy and we spend the whole night hanging out after our sets. We quickly became good friends and I asked him if he’d like to be a part of this record with me. With no hesitation, he was on board and as they say the rest is history.

TB: How has your creative process been during the pandemic? Did you have a surge of creativity or maybe not?

FF: This is a really interesting question. I say this because for me and I'm sure many other Dj/Producers in the techno scene(and just artists in general) have been struggling with this. As artists in this scene we gather inspiration from the often time, frantic parties we are in. The way the people dress, dance, party and the way the venue looks and feels with the lights and loud sound system is where a lot of our inspiration comes from. You might be making one type of music but maybe you experience a different type of techno and party that you never had seen or heard before and now that experience is a heavy influence on your sound going forward. Right now this is not a source in which artists can gather this type of inspiration from, so we have to look elsewhere for that. Which also means our sounds will develop and change, and for me is always a good thing. I find myself making less hard techno these days due to the fact that I'm not constantly bombarded with it every weekend and Instead I've been making more groovy, hypnotic techno, almost sci-fi sounding. I have had a huge surge of creativity, mostly coming from all the time I’ve been spending in the studio. There’s literally nothing to do in New York right now so all I’ve been doing is experimenting with different ways of approaching my sound design and music making.

TB: What's the mood like now in New York with vaccines rolling and more life coming back?

FF: There seems to be a lot of hope going into the spring and summer. Right now I’d say that mostly everyone I know is on the same page with getting their vaccines so we can go back to normal life here in the city. However, I’d like to not get my hopes up. They are talking about possibly lifting some regulations going into the summer and maybe even the possibility of doing parties as long as you have your vaccine passport. Fingers crossed we can dance again this summer.

TB: What's coming up next for you/anything else you want to mention?

FF: At the moment I think I’m just focused on the label and getting more releases out when I can. The next record will be a treat and I'm hoping to be able to announce that very soon. Apart from that I have some releases scheduled to come out later this year on other labels as well a live modular live set I recorded with my friends from The Vine Sessions which will be out on Youtube later this month.