Contributing WriterAfter stumbling upon the fantastic collaboration of Trip Tease & Kris Berle earlier this year we wanted to discover more about their processes, how they met, their aspirations to play live together and much much more. Their ‘Shades’ EP on the eclectic Clipp.art imprint is an alternative EP drifting between, melodic, deep house and lo-fi sounds, a perfect summer listen. Here is what went down when we caught up with the pair…
Congratulations on your “Shades” release, really amazing music. First of all, how did you both meet? And when did you discover that musically you are compatible?
TT: We met many years ago. I always loved the approach Kris had when encountering a synth. She experiments with it in a very different way than I do and that’s what started the idea in my head of making music with her, besides her amazing voice. We’ve always had a similar taste for harmony and texture and thanks also helped.
KB: We met many years ago through a musician friend called Max. We used to jam the 3 of us 🙂 I remember we found connection through a lo-fi way of seeing art in general. I always got inspired by all the machines Trip Tease had and the sound that came out from them.
Is there a story behind the release? Was there a certain narrative you were trying to follow, or an idea you built it around.
TT: I was starting to get obsessed with lo fi music, especially lo fi house which blended nicely with kris more techno influence. Me and Kris have been doing music for many years, but this time the timing was perfect since we had a really fluent experience with these 5 songs. In a way I really had this idea in my head to make something melodic and emotional but also craved a more mysterious and dreamy atmosphere.
KB: We’ve been jamming for many years but finally it came out the idea of making something more solid together. I used to live close to la Roma where he lived so I took this as an opportunity to visit him and get those tracks finished. The name Shades came out spontaneously, but I think it reflected our states of mind in that moment and the place where we produced the EP was kind of in a shadow. All surrounded by old vintage synths and chords messed up on the floor. There wasn’t necessarily a specific narrative behind it, it just all came out grooving those synths. I think the biggest challenge for me was making those vocals fit in the tracks.
Did you already have a relationship with Clipp.art beforehand, or how did this come about?
TT: Not really, they just answered our mail and liked our ep
KB: Not really, we did research on different labels before and while searching for some lofi platforms I jumped into clipp.art. I really loved their artworks and of course the music they release so I decided to email them. It took some months before they answered, but finally they said they wanted it. 🙂
Was you working together in the studio or remotely? Tell us a little about the processes you took to create the release.
TT: Both! We usually got together once a week once we recorded everything we sat and mix the music and arrangements and the vocals kris recorded them remotely
KB: A bit of both, as Trip Tease says. The main structure of the tracks we did worked together but then I moved out of the city and recorded the vocals in different journeys. We worked on the corrections remotely and final adjustments.
What was one thing you learnt from the other in regards to production/ideas throughout the production of “Shades”?
TT: I learned about patience, since that was the main factor that permitted this to be what it is
KB: I learnt a lot about the Trip Tease process of how to create creative arrangements. I think he has a very artsy and vintage ear that made the sound special. I learned to flow with errors, magical mistakes that make music sound more organic while recording it.
Can you name one track that reminds you of the other? (Youtube link if possible)
TT: Trip Tease & Kris Berle – Monkey
KB: Dj Boring- Winona
Last of all, what can we expect from you both in the coming period? Will you collaborate again?
TT: For sure! We could even do a live show or maybe another EP together
KB: Yes! I think one of my biggest dreams is to play live someday together! I would like to create something in the future perhaps a bit more techno.
Discover Trip Tease here: https://tripteasemusic.com/