Boys Noize Goes Off with Emotionally-Charged Double Release “Ride Or Die” / “IU” [LISTEN]
Always innovative DJ/producer Boys Noize unleashes two impressive productions today, “Ride Or Die” with Kelsey Lu featuring Chilly Gonzales, and “IU” featuring Corbin. They’re posed as (+) side and (-) side tracks, sharing beautiful, musical ties between reflection and release.
“Ride Or Die” demonstrates fluid creativity with a slow-burning passion. Kelsey Lu’s voice eases into metallic plucks and we’re instantly engrossed in the atmosphere. Also featuring Grammy-winning Canadian musician Chilly Gonzales, the track “reflects upon the tumultuous emotional tenor of our uncertain future before exploding into delirious, peak-time techno.”
“IU” follows up with an aggressive demeanor, building a fierce world around dark RnB innovator Corbin. A melancholic production with looped vocals leads into spitfire breaks and frenzied synths before erupting into the track’s “overclocked, redlined tempo.” As “Ride Or Die” captures the essence of reflection, “IU” does that for release.
The press release describes the double release as a “flood of emotion and conflict,” and we couldn’t possibly describe it any better. “Both tracks share a frenetic tempo, boldly declaring that the energy of club culture will not falter, even when facing the myriad pressures of a world in distress.”
German-Iraqi talent Boys Noize, real name Alex Ridha, has influenced underground and mainstream electronic music for 15 years running. With this kind of experience and excess energy to spare during lockdown, his recent studio time has led to these momentous productions.
Listen to both tracks and see the music video for “Ride Or Die” below. Scroll down for full statements from Boys Noize and Kelsey Lu on the making of their track.
Boys Noize & Kelsey Lu – “Ride Or Die” feat. Chilly Gonzales
One day, Gonzo sent me a recording of him playing a particular kind of harpsichord called a spinet, and I immediately had the idea of bringing a big musical contrast to the spinet’s delicate notes. The first layers I added were a really dark percussive tribal sound with heavy 909 drums on top. This combination of the classical and the “hi-tec” made me think of Kelsey Lu, who I had seen live shredding on a cello she patched through crazy guitar pedals. Besides loving her music, the experimental approach to sound that we shared convinced me we had to meet. When we finally got together the studio was filled with a rare, special energy, and the first music I played for Kelsey was my rework of Chilly’s spinet. We started on it right away, recording Kelsey’s vocals through my modular system, bending her voice in wild ways, bringing it in close and then far away again, keeping in mind a vision of contrasts combined into something greater than the sum of their parts. Amazingly, everything we recorded in that magic session ended up in the final version of “RIDE OR DIE.” — Boys Noize
I loved making this song with Alex so much because there was just freedom of exploration. It came about so organically. When Alex first played me this track at its early stages I was immediately sucked into the textures that Chilly had added. I found a comfortable meeting ground within the merging of acoustically produced textures and electronic ones. I’m a very visual person when it comes to songwriting, and nature is always a part of that visualization. There was a momentum of tension, and I wanted to soar through that. The desert kept reappearing. Its heat, its vast expanse of space, and its dangers. Sort of like a fleeting romance. It could go so many ways, often disastrous, but whichever way it goes, trust in yourself and the many sides we hold because, in the end, you are a powerful bitch. Be your RIDE OR DIE. — Kelsey Lu
