Shaking up the Parisian music scene with a smooth cocktail of disco, electronic pop, New Wave, and a splash of indie rock is a talented new quintet worth giving a listen to. The Aikiu is made up of Alex Aikiu (lead vocals), Julien Vichnievsky (keyboards), Barnabé Nuytten (bass), Nuno Cordeiro (guitar), and Tatiana Mladenovitch (drums). Together they distill elements from music across decades, amounting in a sound that can only be described as fresh timelessness. We've been addicted to their hoppy, bass-infected song "JUST CAN'T SLEEP" since it came out in 2010, and we're stoked on the band releasing its very first LP this year, co-arranged with Pilooski (Discodeine) and produced by The Shoes' Guillaume Brière.
A four-track EP that you'll be able to win in our giveaway this week (follow us on TWITTER for details to come!) is a taste of their soon-to-be-released LP. The EP scampers through a sunny field via fast-paced drums and twinkling piano ("Pieces of Gold"); revisits the Strokes' effervescence but with more sultriness ("Somehow"); and offers a heartfelt throwback to 80s melodrama ("20th Century Ghost"). Topped off with the delightful, almost dumb redundancy of the goofy instrumental "Barbarella," this aural sneak peek is as feel-good as it gets. Oh and did we mention the artwork is by by the incomparable French art directors M/M Paris?
To know more, we conducted a Q&A with the lead singer Alex, and even got the band to put together a mixtape of some of their favorite stuff. The downloadable mix is molasses to the ears, and coasts seamlessly through Tchaikovsky, Koudlam, Nicolas Jaar, and some of the Aikiu's own tracks.
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Tracklist:
1. October - Tchaikovsky
2. Pieces of Gold - The Aikiu
3. I Will Fade Away - Koudlam
4. Somehow - The Aikiu
5. I Need a Doctor - The Drums
6. Take It Out on Me - Chairlift
7. I Didn't Know - Tristesse Contemporaine
8. D'un Taxiphone - Isabelle Adjani
9. Rendez-Vous - Cerrone
10. I Need Somebody to Love Tonight - Sylvester
11. Darkside A1 - Nicolas Jaar
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Sofia Cavallo: How would you describe your sound?
Alex Aikiu: I would describe it as a pop with New Wave influences. The songwriting itself is rather classic; we tried to have an interesting mix of organic and electronic in the production. It has more to do with soul music than club music, but you could still dance to most of the songs. It's all pretty much emotionally driven.
SC: Do you see yourself as reviving disco?
AA: The two first EPs we put out were truly disco-influenced, especially "Just Can't Sleep," prod
A four-track EP that you'll be able to win in our giveaway this week (follow us on TWITTER for details to come!) is a taste of their soon-to-be-released LP. The EP scampers through a sunny field via fast-paced drums and twinkling piano ("Pieces of Gold"); revisits the Strokes' effervescence but with more sultriness ("Somehow"); and offers a heartfelt throwback to 80s melodrama ("20th Century Ghost"). Topped off with the delightful, almost dumb redundancy of the goofy instrumental "Barbarella," this aural sneak peek is as feel-good as it gets. Oh and did we mention the artwork is by by the incomparable French art directors M/M Paris?
To know more, we conducted a Q&A with the lead singer Alex, and even got the band to put together a mixtape of some of their favorite stuff. The downloadable mix is molasses to the ears, and coasts seamlessly through Tchaikovsky, Koudlam, Nicolas Jaar, and some of the Aikiu's own tracks.
___________________________________________
Tracklist:
1. October - Tchaikovsky
2. Pieces of Gold - The Aikiu
3. I Will Fade Away - Koudlam
4. Somehow - The Aikiu
5. I Need a Doctor - The Drums
6. Take It Out on Me - Chairlift
7. I Didn't Know - Tristesse Contemporaine
8. D'un Taxiphone - Isabelle Adjani
9. Rendez-Vous - Cerrone
10. I Need Somebody to Love Tonight - Sylvester
11. Darkside A1 - Nicolas Jaar
___________________________________________
Sofia Cavallo: How would you describe your sound?
Alex Aikiu: I would describe it as a pop with New Wave influences. The songwriting itself is rather classic; we tried to have an interesting mix of organic and electronic in the production. It has more to do with soul music than club music, but you could still dance to most of the songs. It's all pretty much emotionally driven.
SC: Do you see yourself as reviving disco?
AA: The two first EPs we put out were truly disco-influenced, especially "Just Can't Sleep," prod