Hailing from Los Angeles, Lake Hills is a multi-talented artist with a mastery over film formats and audiovisual projects, which feed into his penchant for experimentation with analog and digital workstations. The producer’s thought-provoking sound is on full display within his four-track EP ‘Picking Flowers.’ The release arrives on HARD Recs following the lead single and title track “Picking Flowers.”
Stream here : https://hardrecs.ffm.to/pickingflowers-ep
Setting the stage with authority, “Thanks For Looking” is an immersive offering that perfectly welcomes listeners into the boundary-pushing environment created by the visionary that is Lake Hills. Chunky breakbeat drum loops and stray hip-hop vocals give the track an instant club-ready feel with an underlying essence of nostalgia. Building upon the foundation, dreamy melodies saunter in to fill the scene with a mystifying soundscape. The vocals are distorted and primal, inviting listeners in with an off-kilter edge. Chunky kicks, flowing water, and intoxicating synths intertwine for a rousing, dreamlike experience.
“Soft” seems anything but at first pass. It opens with a pounding kick that creates a hypnotic loop. Additional percussive layers quicken the pace while subtle melodics find their way through the fray. Ghostly vocal bends saunter in and out, offering a flickering sense of melancholy that contrasts the high-energy drums. The ever-evolving soundscape finds a myriad of forms, as the second half invites a sultry yet understated R&B hook. The vocal loop adds a deeper sense of soul and addictiveness, which drives the latter half with a catchy but clubby aesthetic.
“Cold Star” ramps up the energy to round out the second leg. Teeming with forward-thinking sensibilities, the chugging drums are offset with discordant synth scrapes. Lo-fi atmospherics and moody motifs move between shadowy clubs and bright burnings of distant celestial giants. Pulsing kicks and bass offer an impactful backbone that’s expertly expanded upon. Bleeping melodies offer a sci-fi soul that wraps around the swinging melodic shifts. Subtle vocal samples enhance the organic textures and counterbalance the synthetic sounds laced throughout. From underground clubs to unexplored galaxies, “Cold Star” is a chameleon-like slice of inventive techno.
Capping off the EP comes “Picking Flowers,” a delectable demonstration of breakbeat brilliance. Draped in mystique and wrapped with shadowy sonic tapestries, the track possesses a wicked allure. A mind-melting melody anchors the track, planting its hypnotic seed from the outset and transforming as it progresses. Murmuring vocal loops saunter through like a sultry whisper that rouses the deepest carnal desires. Swirling melodic flourishes, thumping kicks, chiming stabs, and murky undertones engage in an intricate dance with each element while finding the perfect arrangement. Blurring boundaries between exquisite and gritty, it conjures scenes of a high-fashion party in a dimly lit dungeon. Ever-evolving and highly infectious, “Picking Flowers” is at home at peak-time or pulsing through after-hours.
Offering insights into the creation of the project, Lake Hills says, “This record, to me, feels like a solid addition into the direction I want to explore as an artist. For starters, it’s a dance record that explores electronic, techno and breaks. We have some faster BPMs compared to some of my recent releases this year, which are more on the broken beats and electro tip. We still include one of those tracks in this EP but the rest, you can expect four to the floor.”
Los Angeles-based audio-visual mastermind Lake Hills has been leveraging his experience with analog film and creating striking live visuals into an awe-inspiring music production project. He’s been steadily building momentum with the project’s lead single, drawing radio support from Zeds Dead and Paraleven, as well as press coverage from Acid Stag, The Music Essentials, Perspective On Life, Neon Lights Las Vegas, NEW HD Media, Podcart, Beat For Beat, and Find Your Sounds. He’s hot off a performance at HARD Summer Music Festival, and is gearing up for a North American Tour this fall. He is the visual force behind Ivy Lab’s ‘Infinite Falling Ground’ audiovisual album and is currently joining them for the second installment of the IFG tour.
Pairing elements of techno, breaks, and electronica with evocative soundscapes, pristine sampling, and masterful melodies, Lake Hills delivers a statement-making body of work via ‘Picking Flowers.’
Lake Hills’ new EP ‘Picking Flowers’ is available on all platforms via HARD Recs.
More About Lake Hills
Well known for his audiovisual bodies of work. Lake Hills is responsible for various projects covering analog film formats to experimental audio digital works. Based in Los Angeles we find artifacts of the underground rave scene show consistently through his work. As an artist he continues to blend both analog and digital components as he builds a murky yet dreamy catalog that moves from Techno, Electronica and Experimental projects.
More About HARD Recs
Renowned for curating the most cutting-edge lineups, HARD has solidified itself as a cultural institution within the live events space by continuously staying at the forefront of the ever-evolving dance scene. In 2018, they extended this forward-thinking ethos into their first compilation album, ‘HARD Summer 2018,’ an 18-track package aimed at showcasing the most sought-after sounds in house, techno, bass, trap and hip-hop music. With the launch of their very own HARD Recs imprint, they are providing a platform for the artists sprawled across their many stages at HARD Summer, Holy Ship!, and Day of the Dead. As its first full-fledged artist signing, they recruited UK powerhouse JOYRYDE, who has since released a string of high-octane singles, which eventually led up to his massive debut studio album, ‘BRAVE.’ Good Times Ahead (fka GTA) has graced the catalog with 2019’s ‘Good Times Bad Times at Hard Summer’ mixtape, featuring a star-studded roster that brought together high-profile acts such as Flosstradamus, What So Not, and more. Grammy-nominated sensation Wuki has also been enlisted to the roster, with respective singles featuring Diplo, Snappy Jit, Stoppa, and Juvenile leading up to the forthcoming release of his debut studio album. The catalog boasts releases from forward-thinking producers including Panteros666, Wax Motif, Ninajirachi, BRUX, Pocket, Rohaan, AK Sports, Holly, Nitepunk, and more . With many more new signings coming down the pipeline, HARD Recs will remain dedicated to its mission of shining a light on established legends and on-fire newcomers alike from all across the spectrum of contemporary music.