Anoraak
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- Bio: Anoraak (aka Frederic Riviere) proudly presents his debut studio album ‘Wherever The Sun Sets’ to be released on Grand Blanc / Naïve this autumn.
Anoraak began as a bedroom-based project ... (more) - Bio: Anoraak (aka Frederic Riviere) proudly presents his debut studio album ‘Wherever The Sun Sets’ to be released on Grand Blanc / Naïve this autumn.
Anoraak began as a bedroom-based project eight years ago, as Frederic 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.” He soon reached breaking point after his roles in several indie rock bands started to feel like “just another job.” Determined to find his calling in the West of France, Frederic joined his old friends in Nantes and helped launch the Valerie Collective/Blog. Before he knew it, he was channelling 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 on ‘Endless Summer. “They make really deep music,” Anoraak says, referring to the legendary Warp duo, “songs that make you feel good and bad at the same time.” A mood that can also be found in his studio debut.
‘Wherever The Sun Sets’ opens with the stunning synth laden ‘Above Your Head’, before Anoraak carefully crafts his way through the 11 track long player. Standout tracks ‘Try Me’ and ‘Long Hot Summer Night’ nail the essence of being on a beach without a care in the world. ‘Try Me’ - also the first single release off the album has recently been causing waves in the scene thanks to the likes of We Have Band, Michael Cassette and Myd giving it the remix treatment. And then there’s ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ and ‘Dolphins & Highways’ a pair of ballads that feature an alt-disco diva, Sally Shapiro, and Scottish folk singer, Siobhan Wilson, respectively. Frederic explains, “It’s a back-to-the-‘80s vibe that has no boundaries. If something’s cheesy, it’s cheesy. I have no problem with that, so long as it moves you.” Although a feel-good full-length for the most part you’ll also find traces of melancholy in the richly-layered instrumental loops of ‘Midnight Sunset’.
While he’s certainly into laser-guided synth lines and sepia-toned nostalgia trips, Anoraak’s first studio effort is more indebted to Italo disco, Motown-schooled funk and sepia-toned pop music—think: M83 on Ecstasy. After all, it’s not like the French producer/singer/multi-instrumentalist picked up his first battery-powered keyboard yesterday. (less)
