Teengirl Fantasy
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While students at Oberlin College, Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi
connected over a shared love of classic house and techno records that
prompted them to make, "some kind of dance music that wasn't just
emulating what we were hearing." The duo formed their music organically,
improvising over loops that eventually materialized into full-fledged
compositions. Rather than relying on triggering loops, or quantization,
Teengirl Fantasy's music has always been performed and composed live,
resulting in a form of discourse between the band and their instruments.
The result is a-typical for electronic dance music - colorful, maximalist
textures and tones that move along with a driving rhythm yet still
retain a distinctly human and emotional core.
In the fall of 2010, True Panther Sounds and Merok released Teengirl Fantasy's debut LP, '7AM'. Titled after the, "confused, dreamy, half-awake, half-asleep state that one experiences after staying up all night partying," '7AM' was critically praised for its creative use of samples and experimentation. The album made numerous year-end lists including FACT, Pitchfork, XLR8R and established the pair as electronic visionaries.
On their sophomore LP, 'Tracer', Teengirl Fantasy cuts through some of the
haze of their earlier recordings to create their most compositionally
sophisticated work yet. "It's more focused, far-reaching and it takes
more risks." Unlike '7AM', 'Tracer' is completely sample-free and features
an array of vocalists including Panda Bear, Romanthony (of Daft Punk's
"One More Time" fame), Laurel Halo, and newcomer Kelela. For the songs
with vocalists, their approach is, "a wacked version of the pop format."
The album is sonically maximal and symphonic, with heavily layered songs
containing multiple elements. "The editing is more painstaking - there's
more crafting to the songs," says the duo.
Although 'Tracer' touches on an array of genres such as techno, pop, R&B, and house, it simulates a
cohesive journey.
'Tracer' will be released August 21 by True Panther Sounds in North America in conjunction with R&S in Asia, Australia and Europe.
