ATTLAS - Bloom

ATTLAS has released tons of music on the mau5trap label, much of which has come in the form of EPs. His latest work, Bloom , tells a powerful story across a variety of production styles. Enjoy his EP and learn what's to come from ATTLAS.



How would you describe Bloom as a whole? What do you think is a common theme for the EP?

I'm constantly listening to so much music from so many genres, countries, time periods, and inevitably they all contribute in major or subtle ways to what people get to hear. I had come off of a busy few months just in time for winter to thaw into Canadian spring. The gardens were growing again, there was a sense of reflection over who I was before and after the winter, and Bloom is the result of that reflection.

What does the name Bloom signify to you?

I actually came up with the name (unsurprisingly) next to one of my plants in the garden. I had been reflecting over where we had been in the year since the Siren EP came out and gave me the first chance at writing music for a job. I played my first set as ATTLAS last June. I had learned a lot about myself, the way I write, my goals and my weaknesses. I'm trying to internalize the positive and the negative and let it be the fertilizer, so to speak, for the musician, friend, and family member I strive to be in the future. Bloom was obvious both personally and musically, and I'm pleased there's a word that so accurately captures where I (think I) am.

This is the fourth EP you’ve released on mau5trap in the last 18 months. Can you talk about your choice to release much of your work in the form of EPs and what this enables you to do with your music?

It's been an absolute joy having the privilege of releasing on mau5trap. From the very beginning, I've been afforded the chance to explore and grow in a way that lets me always try new things. I've always written across a large spectrum of styles and sounds and instruments - I just enjoy too much to rule anything out. However, if we released tracks single to single, I doubt we'd find the positioning for tracks like "Luna" or "Crane" as easily as some of the material I enjoy playing out. The EPs gave an outlet to not only release this material, but frame it in a way that tends toward narrative, or at least an emotional arc. EPs are a chance to tell a story, describe a mood, or articulate a theme over the rise and fall of a few tracks that are musically separate, but emotionally cohesive.

How do you think Bloom compares to your previous EP, Sin?

I'm really proud of Bloom and where it sits contextually with the other work. It's melodic and very focused in a way that represents growth. I'm fortunate enough that with the little overtures I did for last year's EPs, the Storyline mixes, the remixes, the singles and collabs on mau5trap, I approached Bloom as its own work. Perhaps last year I may have put a lot of pressure on myself for Siren to show all sides of myself, whereas this year I'm excited to share what I've been working on recently with the knowledge that I'm never going to stop writing and there'll be new and different music every time I put myself in front of an instrument.

Can you talk about the vocals for “Shadow Play” and “Colors” and what they mean to you? What was the inspiration for these tracks? What was it like producing them?

As much fun as I had writing, playing on, and producing these tracks, I would say the real alchemy is a result of the fantastic vocals each track has. "Shadow Play" was a chord progression I had jammed on for a while, but had never found the perfect home for. Recording the bassline finally made something 'click' for me, and then the whole track was done in my head (to quote the movie Amadeus, "The rest is just scribbling!"). Linnéa Martinsson's melody and sense of control over her dynamics, her shifting in and out of vulnerability and confidence - that's what people will be drawn to. I'm just happy I had music in me that let her story come through.

"Colors" is similar in that the music is all from a place of live jamming. Kye's vocal was such a performance of desperation and passion, and his pitch control draws such a tenderness out of his lyrics. The production had to match that (or at least try, as it set a high bar!), and I believe it needed warmer, more organic, and live-focused production. It's funny, I actually have two very specific references that I used in approaching this track, "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys, and "Be My Husband" by Nina Simone. Stomp-clap percussion with chunky live piano was the musical setting that made the most sense to sell the truth in Kye's story, which was what I wanted to do first and foremost.



Can you talk about the production process behind “Ryat” and some of the elements that you used in the track?

It's a funny little track, eh? Sometimes I have to tell myself not to overthink things. It's a cozy intro that descends into a relatively simple melodic hook that I harmonize and develop on accordingly. I actually have a bunch of versions of the track, some much more tediously 'overthought' than others. Even the guitar playing isn't meticulously 'on the grid,' but I think there's a playful looseness that embodies the whole track. The melody bounces and lilts, and the pauses coerce rhythm out of comparatively few elements. All of the melodic bits are from the VST Zebra, and I like to print audio through guitar pedals and my amp, and Guitar Rig when it's an amp effect I don't own yet.





What is the meaning of “I Need You More”? How did you create the track and choose to have the subtle lyrics coming in and out?

This track has such a fun story. It was a favourite little chord progression of mine that was missing a hook. In 1970, a psychedelic folk-rock duo called Richard Twice released their first, and only, LP. There's a track on it called "If I Knew You Were The One," a great bit of writing that captures a wistful, romantic longing. The vocal hook in "I Need You More" is from that track and is the vocalization of the track's entire mood - it fits perfectly. I tried it with more vocal, I tried it with more instruments and percussion and development, but it just felt like overkill. Sometimes there are times in a person's story or relationship when "I Need You More" is all there is to say. You wish you could offer more, but the emotion is honest and simple and brutal - here I am and this is all I can offer. It was a track I really enjoyed sharing with friends and family, but was less confident in getting the sample cleared. It's another one of those tracks where I didn't overcomplicate the track, I liked what I had and wanted to avoid touching it. It's not dissimilar to the succinct and controlled nature of one of my favourite Daft Punk tracks, "Make Love." There's a long and interesting story about us getting in touch with Richard Atkins (one of the two Richards of Richard Twice), which resulted in a genuine appreciation for the way the track has its two iterations, a generation and decades apart.



The EP ends with “Avenue Road,” a much more guitar driven track. How did you choose to end the EP with this track?

I have a lot of these smaller, softer ideas that I love writing. Shorter tracks build around simple little harmonic or melodic evolution. "Luna" and "Crane" were examples of these works that made it onto earlier releases. Sometimes these ideas end up spawning larger tracks with these ideas at the core, and sometimes they stay self-contained. Most of them are simple and indulgent and restrained - piano with a synth, synth with piano, guitar with synth or piano. It felt right for this EP to include a performed piece to match the dynamic that the rest of the tracks have.

How does your musical background lend itself to your production career?

As far as it relates to this EP, after being on the road for a couple of months I was eager to get back to piano, guitar, and banjo. It's amazing how different the melodies I come up with are based on the instrument. The layout of the six strings on a guitar are going to give you different intervals of harmony and melodic octave ranges than a piano, where you can conceivably play ten notes at a time. Jumps greater than an octave look large in a DAW's piano roll, and yet across 88 keys I use a lot of voicings that take advantage of the octave range. Additionally, or at least I hope, it's given me some humility and sense of perspective. There are amazing musicians, engineers, producers, and performers with whom I've learned from and worked with or under. None of us put in the hours because we want our names in lights or because there's a payoff down the road if we do things a certain way - we were all just curious learners and lovers of music and music technology. Everywhere I went, that was the truth. The enthusiasm for the work and the level of intelligence was remarkable. You know that saying about how if you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room? That's how it was - I learned so much just by being in rooms with smarter people than myself. I know I'm very fortunate to be in the position I am now, as my position is the result of many people I've learned from and am still learning from actively.



What is it like working with mau5trap? Do you feel like the label provides you the creative freedom to go in a variety of possible musical directions?

Oh, most definitely. mau5trap and Three Six Zero have been nothing but patient, encouraging, and supportive. I haven't once felt pigeonholed into any genre or notion of what ATTLAS is or should be. It lets me experiment, write, learn, and grow alongside the confidence that I'm not going to live or die on any single track. I believe, too, that with longevity as a goal, creative freedom is paramount. I was a complete unknown before releasing on mau5trap, and the first EP had harder electro sounds pushed right up against softer melodic indulgences. To not just take a chance on an artist like that, but to believe in and support that chance is a real safety net. As a group, they stand for music, people, and quality - as a person and musician, I can only strive towards reflecting those same values.



What does the rest of the summer look like for you? How excited are to play at the mau5trap vs. Pryda stage at Tomorrowland?

I'm really excited for the shows we have this summer! Some very exciting festivals, and a good run of club dates that will let me take a few more chances with new edits and stem combinations. I'm feeling a healthy mix of pressure and excitement about the Tomorrowland set. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime, truthfully. Every single artist on that stage is a sincere and disciplined musical and performance talent, and I'm so excited to take it all in as a huge fan. To be able to share my version of music under such circumstances is almost too wonderful to properly describe. I'll be doing my best to soak up every memory of the day, because these are the stories and images that'll live in my head and heart forever.