Brutalist break down their fantastic new 'Brutalist Mixtape'

LUCIANBLOMKAMP and John from Seeake are making some fantastic, forward-thinking electronica.

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We've been following the Brutalist project pretty hard as of late, and so far with a brilliant debut single, first video clip and playlist, it's been a joy to follow. They recently unveiled an EP of sorts in the Brutalist Mixtape, and were kind enough to take us for a guided tour through the seven-track release:

He Was A Great Man:

The track seemed like an apt opener to the mixtape as we wished to establish a contemplative pace right from the start. We wanted to make the listener disorientated, but not uncomfortable, as if they're detached from time and space. Hence we patched together a number of different recordings in different keys and different tempos.

Strep:

Strep is the driving force of the Brutalist Mixtape. It was the first song we made together and it essentially paved the way for the rest of the release. The track was originally melodically driven and based around ‘retro-style’ synth chords. It was only after a few exchanges of the track’s project that Strep eventually grew into the linear, percussively driven track it is today. I feel as though Strep is a perfect representation of both our sounds combined.

Les Tas:

Composed whilst on a farm in Brittany, the title (The Piles) refers to a field full of piles of dead leaves which painted the landscape in a really surreal way. It was ugly, yet strangely hypnotic to look at.

I Was In Control:

In my mind, I’ve always considered I Was In Control to be travel music. It’s neither here nor there in the sense that it’s both meant to relax and hopefully stimulate emotional engagement.

PSA:

PSA is heavily based around variations of repetition. The track takes multiple turns, intended to be as disconnected as possible. While this concept of confusion and discontinuation of ideas is what inspired the track, there are also various elements that anchor the track as a whole. The most obvious of which is the main piano motif which is played nearly throughout the entire track. By combining these elements we hoped to achieve a sense of simultaneous familiarity and unpredictability.

Future Won'ts:

In a sense, Future Won’ts is a reinterpretation of 80s synth pop combined with lo-fi and hip hop-orientated instrumentation. Similar to Strep, this was only achieved after many online exchanges of the ableton project. With every exchange a new stylistic layer was added to the track. When we first started working on Future Won’ts it was simply the main melodic riff, bass and some ambient sounds. It’s definitely a frankenstein’s monster in many aspects. It’s a very refreshing and interesting experience to achieve a final product born purely out of stylistic clashes.

Untitled:

An improvised piece that kept popping up throughout the mixing process. After piecing together the other elements of the mixtape it seemed like a suitable ending; raw, and in a way, unfinished.

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