Francesca Lombardo, a multidisciplinary artist who has established herself as a leader in the dance music community, has announced the sixth release on her Echolette imprint with Birds of Mind’s “Ankara”, out on December 23rd.
Birds of Mind, a Parisian-based duo formed by Alex Heim & Adrian Carreno, takes inspiration from a “close to nature” environment, composing beautifully crafted electronica nourished via organic sounds and ancient refrains, aiming to offer a spiritual, peaceful and loving feeling to listeners.
“Ankara” in its original format kicks off the EP with a decidedly sluggish baseline, dissonant, sliding harmonics and a reassuringly steady beat. This sets the stage for the track’s sheer exoticism, alongside intoxicating oriental strings and Spanish guitars which is sure to transport you to warm weather and beachy vibes.
The five track EP features remixes by NU, Stavroz, Zone+ and Usif, as well as one from Francesca herself, which we are premiering exclusively on 6AM.
Francesca’s remix delivers a true club burner that maintains the original’s cinematic nature while pushing it into uncharted, psychedelic territory.
Her signature groove-heavy drums, adorned with delicate shakers, trade blows with lush pads and submerged, hypnotic vocals. This progresses making way for a trippy, funk-laden arpeggiator, which soon takes center stage in a most satisfying fashion.
With the opportunity to speak to Francesca about this release, we reached out about the inspiration behind this remix, the production process, Echolette and the launch of her sub-label Echoe, as well as what’s in store for 2017.
Hello, Francesca! It’s a pleasure being able to talk to you about this new release. Thanks for joining us! This remix evokes ancient and spiritual emotions. What was the inspiration behind this remix?
I feel those emotions come more from the original itself. I just added a bit of funkiness into the track to make it less dramatic. I’ve always loved funk music and thought references to it would complement this remix quite well!
Detail your production process behind this track.
This remix was made using some arpeggiators and one of my favorites the Minimoog. I wanted to keep the essence of the track, so didn’t lose sight of the most important original sounds.
Echolette was your first label, congratulations, and now Echoe is a branch from it. Why did you decide to start something completely fresh?
I love music and enjoy it in any moment of my life. Echoe came as a new option, being a label that I could release the kind of music that I love to play out when I DJ, stuff more designed for the dance floor. Echolette I will always keep more open, serving as a platform to put out anything I like from Disco to Electronica to even Classical if I want to.
What is the difference you most appreciate between releasing your music on Crosstown Rebels versus Echolette/Echoe?
It’s always nice to release on your own label, as you are involved in the entire process, everything from writing the track to working on the graphics to working on the promo etc. When it comes out it’s very rewarding!
Releasing on a well-respected label such a Crosstown is always a huge achievement and you feel proud to know others are supporting you.
Looking back on 2016, what was your highlight of the year?
I guess launching Echoe was definitely the highlight! We have done 5 releases so far this year besides Echolette, and each one was a success! I’m really happy with the body of work we have built up so far.
What’s in store for 2017?
I am looking forward to more releases of mine next year and also to working more on my other project, live. Besides that, I am just going to keep doing what I do and enjoy it!
You can catch Francesca Lombardo play at Minimal Effort: NYE in Los Angeles this coming December 31st!
Connect with Birds of Mind: Facebook | Soundcloud | Resident Advisor
Connect with Francesca Lombardo: Facebook | SoundCloud | Resident Advisor
Connect with Echolette/Echoe Records: Facebook | SoundCloud
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