Minneapolis-based house duo Niles Shepard turn an alluring new corner with their brooding Interlaker EP, out now on Sacha Robotti’s Slothacid record label. The project is inspired by the duo’s home state of Minnesota, largely by the harbors of Duluth.
Niles Shepard writes:
For our sophomore release [on Slothacid] we were excited to get a little darker and more eccentric in both sound design and musical concepts. Slothacid values creativity and we are happy to be back with another unique offering.
Creative did they get.
The project’s title track, “Interlaker” is a deep and groovy tech house track that samples Minnesota’s state bird (a loon). Synths, horns and expert sound design work together to mimic fog horns found on the ships of the Great Lakes. The EP’s B-side offers “Burnin Up,” a crisp and catchy track that balances tech with acid house, rounding out the EP with contagious energy.
Across both productions, Niles Shepard’s versatility shines through. The EP’s darker sound is a departure from previous Niles Shepard releases like their disco house anthem, “Moon, Man” which won the 2019 Electric Forest Discovery Project. Their most recent EP, Let Us Pray, added depth to their sound and Interlaker takes this depth to new places.
Interlaker is the duo’s second EP on Slothacid, preceded by their July 2020 EP, Follow Me. Other Niles Shepard releases have come via Insomniac Records and its imprint, IN / ROTATION and Box of Cats. And after hearing Interlaker, we are certain this list will only continue to grow.
Listen here!
Niles Shepard – Interlaker EP
Photo via Niles Shepard
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