It's a trite, perhaps rather obvious observation.
Yet it's true: certain places lend themselves to certain sounds. Los Angeles, for instance, could never be soundtracked by rainy-day misery of Coldplay, or the wide open spaces of U2. A space where the ocean meets the metropolis, Los Angeles requires a curious mixture of intensity and calm, organic and digital.
Classixx – Michael David and Tyler Blake – were born and raised in the city, and admit that their take on electronics simply could not have emerged from any other place. "I feel like most people would agree that it sounds like California" Blake explains. "When we're working on a song and I look out the window it just seems like the soundtrack of this city, this beach."
Formed in 2009, Classixx have spent time perfecting their brand of retro-Futurism. Sounding a bit like the 'Bladerunner' soundtrack if the weather was a little bit nicer, this is all Italo sheen, rolled up sleeves and 'Miami Vice' vibes.
At times bordering on grandiose, there's sense of glamour, of opulence running through their music. Debut album 'Hanging Gardens' is set to be released on June 3rd, but ahead of this ClashMusic have been granted an exclusive preview.
'Valley Vacation' is driven by cold, clipped techno influenced synths, including some very Derrick May style synthesised strings. However there's much more to the arrangement than that – check out those 80s synth pop stabs, or even that glorious saxophone solo.
Listen to it now.
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