It’s a talent Anthony Gonzalez has clearly mastered with Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, a double album that brokers a brilliantly effective accord between the ostensibly conflicting demands of commercial pop and experimental rock, and packs some truly giant tunes. The Antibes native has been steadily working to perfect the art of the megalithic alt.pop song since founding M83 in 2001. His self-titled debut from that year and sophomore release two years later, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts established him as a heavy hitter in the post-rock/bliss pop/cosmic electronica league, a skilled producer of hazy, lusciously layered, irresistibly narcotized, epic dreamscapes crafted (essentially solo) from treated electronics, plush synths, murmured vocals and fx-heavy guitar.
It was 2008’s Saturdays = Youth, a nostalgia-soaked paean to Gonzalez’s teenage years – and an unashamed celebration of artists such as Kate Bush and Jean-Michel Jarre – that paved the way for the monumental Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, released in October 18th, 2011.
Co-produced by bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen (best known for his work with Beck, NIN, The Mars Volta) and mixed by Tony Hoffer (Air, Kooks) it took just 13 months to complete and features guest vocalists Zola Jesus (on ‘Intro’) and Brad Laner (‘Splendor’), plus contributions from Gonzalez’s long-term collaborator, his brother Yann. The album title is also a neat summary of the record’s twin tempers – urgent and introspective – and of Gonzalez’s dual identity as dancefloor enthusiast and solipsistic muser. Kings Of Leon, The Killers and Depeche Mode – all of whom M83 toured with in 2010 – can also take some credit for Gonzalez’s newly beefy vocals.
M83 Track Featured in Microsoft Project
“Go!,” the track AltNation’s Jeff Regan declared one of his songs of Summer 2016, gets reimagined into an 8-bit remix via a collaboration with Microsoft, inspired by Anthony Gonzalez’s love of retro video games. Exploring new frontiers of interactive art and music, Microsoft engaged a team of up-and-coming developers to build a web game experience inspired by the 8-bit remix.
The online game experience, “Meet Me At Go!,” takes fans on an unexpected journey through the song as they race through a retro-futuristic cityscape, dodging obstacles and collecting objects in pursuit of their love. The experience draws inspiration from the 8-bit world and the aesthetic of classic arcade games, as well as pulling in themes of longing, searching and racing from the song itself.
Play it now or download it from the Windows Store. Check out a gameplay video of the game HERE.
M83 to Compose and Direct New Cirque du Soleil Show
Cirque du Soleil has announced that M83 is the composer and musical director of its new production, VOLTA. The show will be presented in Montreal starting April 20th, 2017. VOLTA tells a spellbinding story about the freedom to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail. Inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of action sports, the show weaves the adrenaline rush of acrobatics into a visually striking world driven by a stirring melodic score.
About his collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Gonzalez says: “When Jean and Bastien first approached me, I was immediately excited about the idea of working with Cirque du Soleil. Not just because they are a company known throughout the world, but also because I was deeply attracted by the story of VOLTA, and the spirit that underpins the show. The story of VOLTA is ours. It is a tale of a generation who is calling for change and I was very keen to contribute to telling this story. I’m deeply honoured to be part of the Cirque team and it’s a wonderful new challenge in unknown territory for me. Ultimately, it’s challenges like this that I find so inspiring and drive me to make the music that I do.”
M83 US Tour
M83, aka Anthony Gonzalez, has continued his incredible 2016 worldwide tour, announcing additional North American tour dates that include performances at New York’s Terminal 5 and West Coast dates with Mute labelmates Yeasayer. Full routing below, with pre-sales beginning for newly announced October dates on June 22, and general on-sale beginning June 24. Don’t miss what Grimy Goods calls “the unparalleled creators of live music’s most dynamic performances.”
M83 Shared “Do It, Try it” Remix
M83, aka Anthony Gonzalez, shares a remix of “Do It, Try It,” from mysterious French electronic duo, The Blaze. Celebrated by Pete Tong and Nowness, the pair is adept at carving out the exhilaration and wistful energy of the dance floor and shaping it into their own somber compositions. Their take on M83’s “Do It, Try It” opens majestically with Debussy-esque pianos before unfurling into a heady journey that glistens with warmth and melancholy, with Anthony’s joyous vocal riding through waves of distortion into house-tinged ecstasy.
M83 – Release of Knife + Heart Soundtrack
Knife + Heart is a noir-tinged erotic slasher that explores the seedy underbelly of Paris in the 1970s. Vanessa Paradis stars as Anne, the producer of third-rate gay pornography who strives to win back the affections of Lois – her editor and erstwhile lover – by shooting her most ambitious film yet. But events take a violent and dark turn when one after another, Anne’s actors fall prey to a masked killer whose bloodlust knows no bounds.
The Knife + Heart soundtrack is available on digital services from March 8th 2019 with physical formats on April 26 including a blood red double vinyl edition.
