Houses is the project of Dexter Tortoriell. He records beautifully ambient synth-pop (a.k.a. chillwave) that is particularly sunny and brightly lit. Normally, I would say it is a sign of lazy writing to quote large portions of text directly from a band’s bio, but in this case I’m making an exception because Dexter’s description of the recording process is almost poetic and actually gives you a sense of what the music sounds like. From the bio:
“I got laid off from my job at the end of last year and decided I needed a change. My girlfriend put in her two weeks and we moved out to a little cabin in Papaikou, Hawaii. It’s a pretty remote place outside of Hilo (i.e no plumbing/electricity/gas). We worked for meals during the day cultivating microorganisms and learning the basics of sustainable living. We drank showered and cooked with rain water. In our downtime, she would paint and I would record.
We’d have to light candles in an effort to save solar power to keep my computer running. We inspired each other a lot out there, and I think it shows on the album. The music comes from a place of love and ease. The video for Endless Spring was shot there in our spare time, and the music was sketched out loosely over the course of a few months. We just kind of melted into one person. We were able to keep our heads above water for a few months before we both went broke and moved back to Chicago. I put together all the arrangements and field recordings, and that became All Night. The album was pressed to vinyl on a vintage Neumann cutting lathe and then sent through a series of old analog mastering equipment. It then underwent a digital transfer. The idea is that everyone can hear the very first pressing of All Night. It’s a sonically intimate record and we wanted to capture that feeling in the production as well.”
Houses debut LP All Night is set for an October 19, 2010 release.
Houses – Soak It Up
Houses – Endless Spring
Houses & Teen Daze – Bikes
Don’t forget to “heart” our songs on hypem if you like what you hear!
