LVNDR.SOUND is an eclectic EDM powerhouse formed by SunSquabi bassist Josh Fairman, keyboardist/sound design virtuoso Geoff Bremer and multi-instrumentalist Jay. Greens, the trio act as a crucible where elements of future bass, electro-soul, house, and nu-age fun come together to create uniquely rich synth-scapes that transgress the confines of traditional genres and formulas. The EDM project is supported by and deeply intertwined with its home label, ‘Perception Records’ and its mission to build a diverse set of sounds directly representing Denver’s rich, multicultural music scene.
Staying true to its own name, “Echoes” kicks off with spacious tones and a repeated, infectious chord progression before building with chopped-up vocal samples in a reverbed atmosphere. After temporarily receding, the instrumental then builds up again with stuttering percussion and cacophonous risers before dropping into a lush, immersive soundscape replete with expertly designed, layered synth melodies and trunk-rattling drums.
Since bursting onto the scene earlier this year, LVNDR.SOUND has already collaborated with hometown legends such as Adam Deitch and Eric “Benny” Bloom (both of the band Lettuce), and sold out their debut headlining show at the local festival The Kaia Project.
After releasing their first three singles “Nebula,” “Virtual One” (with Eric “Benny” Bloom), and “Signal” (with Adam Deitch) via Jay.Greens’ own genre-crossing label Perception Records, LVNDR.SOUND now unveils “Echoes” as the fourth single from their forthcoming LP.
Today’s interview with the Electronic Trio revealed some not-so-hidden depths that the project is working. Not only are they a melting pot of influences and sounds, but they’re the very roadmap to a more community-driven musical industry, Check it out:
We’re curious about the name LVNDR.SOUND. What’s the story behind it? Why is this colour so important?
“When we started talking about working on this project, I had this idea to try and create works of art that were inspired by particular colour palettes, it’s really part of a larger hematic concept built into Perception Records utilizing colour as a jumping point, or a means of inspiration for a musical direction. I think it helped us as artists avoid some of the inherent limitations that come with attempting to make a particular, specific style or genre of music. Instead of making house music, electro-soul, future bass or drum, and bass, we set out to make something that embodied all different shades of purple initially, and when the project defined itself we felt that lavender, in particular, was the hue that the music resonated with the most. What we ended up with was a really unique melting pot of different sounds and styles.“ – Jay.Greens
For a clear depiction of how differently each of these colours inspired us, check out Josh and Jay.G Greens’ other project “Midnight.Blue” which released their debut LP via Perception Records in August 2022. Also, stay tuned for the rest of the pieces of this metaphorical, musical painting, which are in progress.
How and when did the three of you link up?
Geoff and Jay.Greens have been making music together for almost a decade now and went to high school together. They linked up with Josh through Scanhope Sound a few years later, where they both worked as interns/assistant engineers at times in college. They began collaborating on this project almost two and a half years ago when Geoff graduated from Berklee and moved back to Denver.
An electronic music trio is a bit of a standout in a genre where it’s mostly a one-man or at times A two-piece act. How do you juggle things creatively?
We all have our respective roles and skill sets and we know when to step forward and step back in the creative process. Being a trio has been advantageous in many ways because we have different perspectives on everything we do based on our individual expertise and we feed off each other’s energy and ideas to create art that is different from anything else we’ve made in separate ventures.
When it comes to personalities, who is the what of the project?
We had a tough time describing our personalities, so we decided to use some of our favourite one-liners that fit our personalities well.
Josh: “How do you do, fellow kids?” – Steve Buscemi
Jay.Greens: “Dude, where’s my car?” – Ashton Kutcher
Geoff: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood.” – Mr Rogers
What can you tell us about ‘Echoes’, what did you set out to explore?
We’re not usually trying to explore any one thing in particular with each song, instead, we trust the creative process, follow our musical instincts and go with the flow of our inspiration. “Echoes” is just a result of letting go of musical expectations and creating something that felt good organically, that’s our goal with all of our music really, to create What feels good.
How has the reception been across Denver? Is the electronic music scene there on an upward swing?
It’s actually been mind-blowing watching the Denver electronic scene absolutely blow up over the last 10 to 15 years. The scene is constantly evolving and growing and everyone has been super welcoming, excited, and open to collaboration. That’s one of the coolest things about Denver, everyone is so uplifting and really interested in working together to create art and have a good time. We’ve only played one show so far, but it was sold out headlining our new favourite local Colorado festival, The Kaia Project. A big shout out to them, what an awesome community and experience that was and the perfect way to launch our project. We’re so thankful to have been a part of it.
Do you have any rituals or habits you engage in before and/or after a live performance?
We try to keep things light and positive before a show, it’s all about setting the vibe and just having a good time. If we’re having fun, then the audience is having fun. Getting into that symbiotic flow state with a crowd and connecting through the music. That in itself is our most sacred ritual.
‘Perception Records’ is an inherent part of the trio’s identity, and the community-oriented values of the label I’m sure are expressed in some regard through the music of L.S. What values are those? What ‘Perceptions’ do you hope your music can alter and change for the better?
We really want to break down barriers between genres and people in the spirit of collaboration. Ultimately, with the broader goal of Perception Records in mind, we are working towards a more unified music scene— to tear down walls, and to offer an alternative perspective of art and music that is not so rigid and defined by the status quo of the music business, genre definitions, or critical expectations. We just want to encourage creative exploration and artistic expression. We’ve all been fortunate to find ourselves as members of various communities in different corners of the musical ecosystem, and we are doing our best to take the inspiration we’ve gotten from our experiences and share it with other artists and listeners through our music.
2022 has been productive and busy for LVNDR.SOUND- What’s up next for 2023?
2022 has set us up for some bigger plans in 2023, including our full-length album release and many more shows. We’ve been hard at work creating and we’re more than ready to start sharing what we’ve made with the world.
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