Courtesy of totallydublin.ie
Son Lux first popped up on FDRMX‘s radar after announcing a show at the Full Moon Fest here in New York. Since then, we can’t get enough of this dark and delicious, percussion-laden melody “Easy (Switch Screens)” featuring pop’s reigning royal Lorde. (Listen to Son Lux’s “Easy (Switch Screens)” feat Lorde here.) Steady rattling drums beat throughout, and a baritone saxophone bumps in the background, creating its own beat. Lorde drapes silky vocals over the beat, backed by ghostly haunted-house choir vocal effects.
The song transitions into an electric guitar solo around the 2:40 mark, energizing it mid-way, and then seamlessly returns to the chorus. The Son Lux-Lorde collaboration produces an eerie and haunting track that demonstrates Lux’s ability to melt a wide range of instruments into a sinister beat, and Lorde’s dark and dreamy voice. The collaboration is featured on Son Lux’s 4-track EP, Alternate Worlds, released earlier this year. Lux’s original interpretation of “Easy” is found on his 2013 album Lanterns.
Son Lux, who also goes by Ryan Lott is not simply a talented producer. He’s as skilled on with a piano as he is with rearranging percussional beats, which you can witness from this acoustic performance of “Easy” by the Son Lux and a live band. His vocals aren’t as silky and dark as Lorde’s, but the video is a testament his ability to translate instrumentalism into a live setting. Lott once worked full tim composing music for commercials in New York City. Since 2012, he’s focused mainly on his career as a musician, but still composes music for commercials from time to time. It’s easy to see cinematic elements in much of his music. For examples of his theatricality, look to the drastic build-up of violins in the opening of “Flickers” or the somber piano and pizzicato strings on “Enough of Our Machines“.
If you want to catch a live show, Son Lux will be performing on Governor’s Island this Friday at the Full Moon Fest. You can grab tickets here (ideally before the sale ends). You can keep up with the artist’s other shows on his Facebook and most recent releases on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.