LAVURN is the debut self-titled album from Lavurn Lee, a singer, songwriter, producer, performer and DJ from the inner suburbs of Toronto. He has also lived and worked in Sydney, Hong Kong and Berlin. His music is an emotionally complex assemblage of processed vocals, filtered pads, surgically programmed drums, haunting melodic fragments and hazy textures. This 13 track album of sparse, emotive and experimental R&B is his second for SUMAC and his first under his own name, following a previous record under the name Fake in 2018. Lavurn was made over three years between Toronto, Berlin and Hong Kong in close dialogue with SUMAC founders DJ Plead and T.Morimoto.

Previously, as Cassius Select, he has established himself as a unique voice in dance music, releasing on cult labels such as Unknown to the Unknown, Accidental Jnr, Hypercolour, Banoffee Pies, Raw Basics and Bruk Records. His side projects include collaborations with vocalists such as VV Pete and Daemon, his previous experimental R&B aliases Guerre and Fake, and BV (alongside Marcus Whale and DJ Plead).


THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS ON THE MAKING OF LAVURN

“I’m trying to make pop music. Not in the industry sense, but in the way that everyone is making their own type of pop music. It wants to be listenable, so it can create emotions. I come from bedroom song writing in the age of the internet. The lyrical content and sounds reflect my demeanor. Big ego with low sense of self-worth. Constantly posturing. At once both strong and weak. I don’t always trust my abilities. I don’t have the voice to produce contemporary radio R&B. I don’t do traditional harmonies, mine are all over the place.

It's the first time I'm writing about my own life in a literal sense. I spent years writing love songs having never been in a relationship. Whereas this feels very raw as a reflection of my experiences. To me the album sounds insular because it was made that way, in isolation. The vocals are used in a sampled way. A chorus for one track might be chopped and turned into another hook. A verse for one song is half timed and used for the chorus of another. Auto-Tune is used heavily. Some tracks are ‘written’ by pulling different beats, textures and vocals from different tracks and seeing what fits together. I tried to take self-sampling further and further. I was thinking of ways to world-build.

Most of the lyrical content on the album is about dealing with a breakup. But the album doesn’t reflect a break-up because it’s completely one sided. It doesn’t reflect the reality that I was an awful person during the relationship. Really it's an inward study of a reaction to rejection. It’s ambivalent. The attitude is “hey imma do me and improve myself”, while also desperately wanting someone back (for all the wrong reasons). There’s a veneer of self-improvement and healing. But it’s all performance. I used to think all the songs had a kind of toxic intent because of this. Trying to impress someone in a way that would make them want to return to you. In retrospect I understand the songs differently. They’re not perfect. A bit confused in their vulnerability. Maybe quite sweet in a way. I think it’s healthy for me to see the lyrics on the album as directed at myself. It’s an album about self-love. I learnt that making music can be a kind of self-care.” 
credits
released February 16, 2024

Written, recorded, produced and mixed by Lavurn Lee
Mastered by T.Morimoto
Photography by DJ Plead

LAVURN - STILL

Jon Hassell - Blues Nile
Jerry Garcia - Love Scene
Ash Ra Tempel - Laughter Loving
Richard Youngs - Collapsing Stars
Silver Apples - I Have Known Love
ANDY BOAY - ∏∏∏∏ - “Love Is Peace, Freedom Is Harmony”
Les Rallizes Denudes - But I Was Different
Spacemen 3 - Come Down Easy
HTRK - Valentina (Cali Highway Version)
Body-Head - Abstract

OB0512 — Pavel Milyakov

Cecilia 01-10-2024

Fresh Marseille based label Cimetières de France trap crew member Oliver Foster for a mix, featuring an hour of picks from the wider collective and beyond, including new and unreleased material… 

 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/cimetieres-de-france-w-oliver-foster-11th-october-2024

cimetières de france w/ oliver foster 111024

Chiasme 

Allongé.e sur un divan de verre, dans une vaste pièce sans murs. Plus de certitudes, plus besoin de se présenter ni de localiser la conscience. Choisis l’introduction qui correspond le mieux à ton existence : ce divan, la matière qui le compose, sa forme au ralenti, une onde – qu’importe. Tu seras toujours traversé.e par ce qui te dépasse. Dans cette pièce, y’avait Basil.

Tracklist:

In the Garden of Sinners - Yuki Kiiura
Saafe - nthng
For Whitney - kelman duran
Cave - MA.MOYO
keiska.. dibboy.. aldous..
Legea - Forma Norte
Видео. Илл. Дина Алиева
Metamorphosis 2 - Murcof, Vanessa Wagner
Into the mist - autoisolation
milksugar - crushed
Perfume - Joe and The soundtrackings
fast life - psalm37
thinking chant
red room - Taiwan
out of the way - Like Saturn
That Thing with the Rabbit - Headache
Others Here With Us - Prince
LEGS IN THE AIR - JazzyJazz
Danara - Ara Tokatlian
god loves you - Yawning Portal

Formats Instables w/ Chiasme [29.10.24]

Philadelphia cult property and experimental shoegazers They Are Gutting A Body Of Water bring their hazy sound to NTS once a month. 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water/episodes/they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water-18th-november-2024

TAGABOW / Julia’s War 181124

NTS pays tribute to Kakraba Lobi, the Ghanaian master of the gyil, a wooden, xylophone-like instrument deeply connected to the musical and spiritual traditions of Lobi and Dagara people of Ghana, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast. Kakraba Lobi’s career spanned decades, during which he performed internationally, taught extensively, and recorded works that remain definitive in the world of gyil music, at home in Ghana and abroad. Musician SK Kakraba, his son and heir as a virtuoso gyil performer, reflects on his late father’s life and legacy, while sharing his own journey and the artistry he inherited. This episode includes an exclusive performance by SK Kakraba, alongside intimate excerpts from interviews.


Interview, interview and mix by Nelly Chevaillier 


Special thanks: Maxime Bonnevil... 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/in-focus/episodes/in-focus-kakraba-lobi-22nd-november-2024

Version 2

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