Following the highly-acclaimed release of his single “Keep You Close” alongside Nick Garcia, LA-based producer and local music scene tastemaker Monsieur Frazier presents his debut self-titled EP, Monsieur Frazier, via his own label Understated Recordings. As co-founder of the LA-based record label, event production brand, and creative collective Understated, Frazier has spent the last decade ascending the ranks of local underground scene with his tributary of deep house, funky house, disco house, acid, breaks, electro, minimal, bass and much more.
Frazier’s inspiration for his eponymous EP manifested during lockdown, when the uncertainty of 2020 helped pave the groundwork into the next part of his career, which led to the narrative behind his debut EP. After spending years soundtracking dance floors across the city, the quiet of quarantine spurred Frazier’s transcendence from selector to full-fledged producer, with his inaugural opus being the trophy behind his efforts.
“The inspiration for this EP came about during quarantine, when I was unsure of what the future would hold for both myself as a DJ and the music scene in general, while also feeling like I had been given a giant opportunity to start over and reset. I felt that there was no better time to finally just go for it as a producer.”
Monsieur Frazier
As co-founder of the LA-based record label, event production brand, and creative collective Understated, Frazier has spent the last decade ascending the ranks of local underground scene with his tributary of deep house, funky house, disco house, acid, breaks, electro, minimal, bass and much more.
Frazier’s inspiration for his eponymous EP manifested during lockdown when the uncertainty of 2020 helped pave the groundwork into the next part of his career, which led to the narrative behind his debut EP. After spending years soundtracking dance floors across the city, the quiet of quarantine spurred Frazier’s transcendence from selector to full-fledged producer, with his inaugural opus being the trophy behind his efforts.
Frazier describes his sound as a blend of various genres and subgenres within the spectrum of dance music and beyond, and his EP is a marriage of all these styles; beginning with the minimalism of “More Vivid Than Life,” a track whose afrocentric percussion, experimental drum breaks, sci-fi synths create a sinister, abstract soundscape rooted in 90s dance music.
The second track, “COLORS,” rides on the acid synth line, with breakbeat loops, jazzy deep house chords, and spoken word vocals. Recently released, the third and final track “Keep You Close” featuring Nick Garcia has been applauded for its unique pastiche of styles boasting skittering U.K. garage style drums with chopped soul samples, colorful jazz keys, trap style triplet rap, and squelchy mid-range bass lines.
Born in Santa Monica and raised on the westside of Los Angeles, Monsieur Frazier is a veteran of the L.A. club scene. Frazier held down a year-long DJ residency at the seminal Sound Nightclub, as well as graced the decks at many of the city’s best venues. In 2018 Frazier made the leap from club to festival stage, making appearances at Splash House, Coachella, Minimal Effort, and more.
The offspring of a two-time Olympian and former Baltimore-based DJ, Frazier was raised in a family bursting at the seams with natural born talent. Following in the footsteps of their father, both Frazier and his twin brother have dedicated themselves to a career rooted in music. Frazier’s story begins with Hip Hop and Rap, with his first foray into the music industry beginning as a DJ for some of the L.A.’s many local rappers, coming up alongside many of the city’s biggest names in Hip Hop including Odd Future, Warm Brew, Dom Kennedy, and many more. Evidenced by his rapping and extensive use of sampling, Frazier’s Hip Hop roots have stuck with him deeply throughout his career as he made the sonic pivot to playing electronic music.
