PREMIERE : Transistorcake // Pina
Somewhere between EDM and synth pop, Transistorcake has evolved into a fascinating electronic outfit, a full live band lead by the Belgian producer Orson Wouters. After the critically-acclaimed single Mr. Croissant Taker, and the following EP Future Plans, Transistorcake is back this month with Cocktail EP, out via Eskimo Recordings. 1 part dreamy textures, 2 parts insane grooves, this refreshing blend of synthy zest will make sure your booty is shaking, and not stirring… (Alright, I went too far with the cocktail metaphors, but you get the point.) It is with great pleasure that we’re premiering Pina today, one of our favorite tracks from the record. And while we’re here, why not have a chat with Transistorcake…
The tracklist of your new album reads like a delicious cocktail menu. Do you see parallels between mixology and music production?
Cocktails and music have gone side by side for a long time, and there are obvious similarities I think. The aesthetic aspect, the creativity, the performance, and love you put into making them… I can imagine many cocktail makers are just as passionate about cocktails as musicians are about their music.
How did you produce Pina?
Pina started from a little jam with my old SH-1000 and a drum machine.
I believe it’s one of the first things I played on my SH-1000 after he was restored. It had been broken for 2 years, so I felt excited to have it back. I selected the best parts out of this recording, added a bassline and recorded extra drums with Wouter, later on. And that’s it really, it was one of those songs that kind of made itself. To me, the song has a ‘new energy’ kind of feeling, it’s big but peaceful at the same time. I called it Pina because piña coladas are one of my favorite cocktails and I love the way pineapples grow, just a new one on top of the old one, you have to google it if you haven’t seen it yet.
Are there any artists that influenced you during the making of Cocktail EP?
I know I’m not alone in this, but I really love the way Kevin Parker’s drums sound, I cannot not think about it while recording drums, they just sound the best haha. Other than that, I’ve been watching Twin Peaks again in that period of time. A little bit of Vangelis, LCD Soundsystem and Herbie Hancock probably. But that never really happens intentionally, I try to focus on defining my own world.
When you create a new track, do you think about the live setting? Or do you write freely and figure that out later?
I never really worry about practical issues to play the songs live while in the studio, but I do see the band in front of me during the process. I believe that if the core of a song is strong enough, there are many different ways to perform it and it will often be refreshing to hear it in a new way.
I give myself complete freedom, production-wise. Many things will be impossible to replicate exactly on stage, but that doesn’t matter. Sometimes we like to play a song in a groovier way, or make it last a bit longer, and it’s nice to have the freedom to really play with that. We use different synths etc. on stage than the ones that were used in the recordings because we can’t take everything with us, so in that way we already have a different set of sounds to start with. Then we’d just listen back to the studio recordings and try to replicate the same vibe and ideas in the live setting. Some sounds or samples are taken from the recordings if they really play an important role in a track.
What’s next for Transistorcake?
Make more music and play more gigs! We have a few Compact Disk Dummies supports planned later this year, and I’m finishing new music at this very moment, so stay tuned…
Cocktail EP is out on July 10th via Eskimo Recordings.
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