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In light of his latest album, the unstoppable DJ/producer gave us an exclusive look into the tracks that helped shape his unparalleled sound.
Closing the year out just as he started, red-hot producer Jeff Hartford – alias ATTLAS – recently dropped one of the most important albums of the fall. Out Here With You marks the Canadian native’s second studio album, arriving only 11 months after his debut album Lavender God back in January. Offering up 10 emotionally in-tune tracks, ATTLAS continues to prove why he’s one of mau5trap‘s most celebrated talents.
We caught up with Hartford to get a glimpse of the tracks that inspired the sounds he created in Out Here With You. Ringing true to his prestigious status as an audiophile and selector, his choices range from Prince of Denmark‘s beloved hazy house to Vril‘s relentless atmospheric techno to The War on Drug‘s melancholic indie. Sift through his selections via our interview below:
ATTLAS’ VAULT OF INSPIRATION
Prince of Denmark – 8
“Probably the track I’ve poured the most hours into over the last few years. An absolute brilliant effort in controlled and sustained mood, texture, atmosphere, and mystery. Everything I look for in electronic music and spans a spectrum of weight. Like discerning a character through the fog and not sure if it’s a memory or dream or reality.”
Bibio – Haikuesque (WXAXRXP Session)
“Bibio is a standout all-time artist for me. His catalog is wide and deep, and at his best, he’s matched by only the peak of both songwriters and producers. The original from his album Ambivalence Avenue has always been a favourite, but this version released 10 years after the original was a staple of so many late nights in provincial parks campsites with my girlfriend. Sweet, sincere, humble, lush – it loops on itself gaining warmth and emotion each time a harmony is added.”
DjRUM – Creature Pt. 1
“By far my favourite still-working musician in electronic music, I think I’ve used a record of his in every mix I’ve put out (and if I haven’t it’s only because I couldn’t fit it in or the key didn’t fit). He’s the best turntablist I’ve seen live, the most ambitious producer across literally hundreds of bpms, but has this incredible ability as a jazz pianist in a live context. His music is spacious, narrative, cinematic, challenging. This particular cut gave me confidence on my last record’s cut “More Than That”, but had very obvious threads in the way I approached a freeform time signature on a lot of my favourite pieces of writing this year, “Thunderstorms From The Balcony” as the most obvious.”
Vril – Aquarius
“Vril as a live act and a producer means the world to me. Confident heaviness or restrained atmosphere, his work understands that choosing the right elements and moods can be sustained and ridden for as long as you want. This record was unreleased for ages, only teased as a set opener of his. It’s everything I seek out in electronic music, rhythmic, melancholic, honest, vulnerable.”
Mac Quayle – 403.2 I’m Crazy Too
“I can never tell where Mr. Robot sits in the public consciousness; is it too popular to mention as an influence because everyone knows it? Or is it super meaningful to its core audience and on the periphery of those outside it? Regardless, for someone who hasn’t connected with a film or tv show in years, this one hit the spot and the music got into my veins like a dose of acceptance for people that are walking that tightrope a lot of days. It’s electronic music that bares its soul, dares to be weak, dares to be strong.”
36 – After Time
“Full disclosure – this hasn’t just been an influence on this record, but on just about every session I’ve sat down to since I heard it for the first time. For someone who primarily has had to earn his bread and butter in a genre defined by clubs, ambient has been the driving heartbeat to my strongest material. The smokey textured emotion, the wistful regret, the bleak reality but true humanity it represents…this is a record that has informed so many of my more subtle decisions when it comes to atmosphere and the ‘thickness’ of compressing synths in ambient spaces. A true knockout, one of the best pieces of music that have ever entered my realm of listening.”
Shifted – Coax
“This album of mine is a lot more stripped-down, production-wise, but it doesn’t mean any less care has gone into the production and technical decisions. Almost more, to be sure. Records like Coax illustrate the value of control and discipline, something that I had to reign in when it comes to productions like Uour and MGT – know when is enough, don’t overstuff the track, trust your instincts and let a good idea have space to breathe. Every millisecond of Coax matters – did you ever think bringing in an eighth note hi-hat would change the entire story of a track so much?”
Four Tet – 1993 Band Practice
“So much of this album was about space and time and fresh air and sampling and resampling things I’ve heard and written and finding a new context for them. A brilliant-cut from this year, Four Tet has evolved curiously – always fresh but timeless. There Is Love In You could have come out this year and felt as forward-thinking and confident as anything he put out in the last calendar, his work will forever mean the world to me and as a musician, I’m glad he is a constant reminder that belief in one’s self matters. Not sounding like other folks isn’t a detriment, it’s a real quality that lends itself to longevity.”
The War On Drugs – Strangest Thing
“I’ve always said that my track on this album “When We Were The Same” is my version of a War on Drugs record. It’s sprawling, long chord changes, melancholic, and big spacey leads that evaporate into a real cavern of reverb. It was hard to pick one of their records to refer to here, so I picked one that typified everything I meant. I feel electronic music still has a lot of space to spread out into these moods. This isn’t just a genre for dance or scores or pop, this can be a melodic moody genre that still crosses over into mainstream acceptance with what it means and how it emotionally connects.”
Out Here With You is out now and available to stream across all platforms HERE.
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