Codebreaker
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Website: http://www.codebreakermusic.com
Bio: Codebreaker is anthemic. Codebreaker is electric. Codebreaker is criminally infectious. Codebreaker is Steven Hawley and Sage Schwarm, and with their new 12” single “Follow Me,” ... (more)
Codebreaker is making summer magic. An irresistible mix of the timeless, warm sound of funk and the modern style of italo disco, “Follow Me” has quickly caught the attention of world-class taste makers including The Juan MacLean (DFA/NYC), Bottin (Italians Do It Better/Venice), and The Outrunners (Valerie/FR), all of whom gave the single the remix treatment for Codebreaker’s summer release.
As they have done before with their first full-length, “Exiled!” in 2007, which elicited praise from the likes of The Washington Post and Pitchfork, Codebreaker has proven once again that its uncontainable mix of disco and soul is anything but ordinary. “People throw those words around a lot,” Hawley says of the language used to describe Codebreaker, “we actually live on them.” This may seem hard to believe for two guys making disco tracks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but, for Hawley and Schwarm, life off the beaten track may actually be the key to success. "I'm not going to crap you a rainbow on how awesome Milwaukee is, it just means we end up spending all our time making music instead of partying." By meticulously deconstructing what they “love about the music we love,” Hawley and Schwarm create a sound that is equal parts light and dark by balancing the clean, cool sophistication of electro with the playful passion of disco, while always throwing a little funky swagger into everything they do.
Citing influences such as Chic and The Pet Shop Boys, Codebreaker look to the past and the music they love to help them push their sound into the future. Codebreaker’s frontman is quick to point out that many of his major influences, particularly 70’s funk and soul greats, “came out of really unlikely places,” and emphasizes that the lack of a scene around him and Schwarm means that everything they do comes from their passion to make music as great as the music they love. “We live on our own planet” Hawley says of his and Schwarm’s creative process, “we’re just two guys who are really passionate about making good music.”
“Follow Me” is a straight up, take no prisoners summer anthem, and it’s not merely a suggestion. It’s dance music that grabs you like a new best friend, and definitely won’t let you go home before sunrise.
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