The concept of what it means to be an innovator in music has transformed, calling on artists to provide an impact to their community as much as the cannon of contemporary sound. Fueled by that vein of understanding, Brooklyn’s QRTR is quickly emerging as one of the electronic music community’s darling trailblazers.
For her latest turn at crashing through her potential’s ceiling, the producer has rifled off a new single and remix package via Walker & Royce’s Rules Don’t Apply imprint. “Snowfall” is a standout in the already exciting RDA catalog, providing moody ambience that conveys energy through emotional production. The release’s applicability is further flexed by ostentatious reworks from Justin Martin, Maude Vôs, and Slug Father.
QRTR’s original is a melancholy take, yet still packs vibrant energy in the fast paced house genre. An ambient intro creates a wide open soundscape, before charging forward with processed vocal chops. Crisp, tangible percussion envelops the listener with a groovy rhythm meant for soul searching on the dance floor.
Justin Martin’s remix leads the pack on the projects reworks. The longtime Dirtybird member and innovator in his own right further explores the melodic side of the original, offering a piano led intro before exploring a more funky dive into the chorus’ production. Maude Vos,the LA-based producer, composer, and co-founder of Delusional Records, flexes her expert synthesizer knowledge on a more tech savvy record. The EP is rounded out by a charming, more danceable remix from Slug Father – a fellow NY-based producer who brings forth horns to access a more funky, R&B rendition.
Quote from QRTR:
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Brooklyn-based electronic artist Meagan Rodriguez, aka QRTR, returns to Dome of Doom for the release of her sophomore album, infina ad nausea. The new record drops worldwide on vinyl and digital platforms August 27th and follows her debut LP Drenched, initially released in March of 2020. Diligently working on her follow-up since last year as the pandemic surged and life continued to transform, QRTR has unloaded a treasure trove of hypnotic grooves that vortex around the many intricacies of her experimental approach and leave testament to her growth as an artist. All tracks were mixed by QRTR and mastered by Ryan Schwabe (Oneohtrix Point Never, Tierra Whack, Shamir, RJD2).
Rooted in the transfixing worlds of house, infina ad nausea finds unique deviations, including drum ‘n bass, ambient, classical, and IDM. The record was produced at various home studio locations around Brooklyn, with some of the material dating back to 2017. Field recordings were captured at Notre Dame, Paris in 2018, as well as Catskills, New York in 2020. Every track is filled to the brim with synths, percussion, drums, samples and original vocal parts from QRTR that underscore her range as a producer and arranger. Features include QRTR’s cat companion, the infamous ambientkitty, LA-based electronic producer and vocalist artemis orion, and New York artists Braille, Daniel de Lara, and CSLTY.
Much like QRTR’s maiden voyage on Dome of Doom, infina ad nausea derives meaning through concept form and the way artistic and personal life collide in the most challenging ways. From the titles and their sonic derivatives, down to the order of the tracks across the LP and how they transition from one song to another, every aspect of the LP is a piece of the puzzle that endlessly spirals over one another. QRTR adds further context, “infina ad nausea is a play on latin terms “ad infinitum” and “ad nauseum.” I was trying to create a phrase to describe growing sick of a false feeling of permanence, as though you’re living in a never ending loop. I was steeping in the concept of “spiral” which is a theme I’ve been coming back to constantly in my art and life since 2011. I always felt as though I was living within a series of full circles overlapping on each other (creating the illusion of a spiral). I have a tattoo on my arm that I designed in an effort to visually express the idea. The concept of this album feels a little larger than life to me and difficult to describe and that is exactly what I was trying to encompass sonically. I arranged the track order in a way that felt like the act of spiraling internally (mentally and emotionally). It starts off bright and playful and becomes more frenzied until suddenly you’ve reached “the point” – which is ever moving and evolving and thus unreachable.”
QRTR is one of electronic music’s brightest upcoming voices and has carved out another important mark in her legacy with infina ad nausea. A work that pushes back on neat packaging and easy access points, standing as an opulently expressive and raw statement that takes into account the full range of human experience.
Walker & Royce have defined their career with three simple words: Rules Don’t Apply. This ethos is reflected in their genre-straddling studio output, and in their eponymous radio show, which puts other risk takers on display. Walker & Royce took their Rules Don’t Apply motto to new heights in 2021 with their new record label. The duo’s first release saw Dances With White Girls drop the boisterous single “Skinny Dipping,” as well as the debut of its two-sided SPLITS series, which offers two singles from two artists that are paired and released as an EP.
Rules Don’t Apply is a fitting progression in Walker & Royce’s artistic journey. With a focus of quality and innovation regardless of genre or style, they can now focus their decade-plus of underground influence into nurturing the next generation of trendsetters.
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