Every week, 88Nine brings you a fresh track from a Milwaukee artist. They send it to us. We post it here. You hear it before everyone else.
For today's premiere, we've got a blissed-out slice of summer escapism from producer Dashcam featuring LUXI. Ahead of an upcoming LP "featuring friends in the electronic and indie music scenes," stream and read about "Before We See the Sun" below.
First impressions
Dashcam specializes in sumptuous electro-pop that imagines what the "Drive" soundtrack might have played like if that movie replaced its horrific violence with scenes of Ryan Reynolds enjoying daiquiris at a beach house pool. It's an inviting aesthetic, but even at its most easygoing it always sounds absolutely massive.
And like a lot of electronic producers, Dashcam does his best work when he's accompanied by a strong collaborator. Here he's joined by his NiceFM labelmate LUXI, whose blissful Auto-Tune sails over the track as she conjures the lovelorn feeling of floating away during one long, perfect night. It's a summer track, in both sound and content, and if there's one thing we've learned from living in this city it's that we've all got to enjoy summer while we can.
In the artist's words
Beginning as an instrumental composition featured on the NiceFM Sunrise Compilation, "Before We See the Sun" wasn't fully realized until Dashcam invited LUXI to write lyrics and add vocals to create a completely different type of song. Inspired by LUXI's recordings, Dashcam went to work, giving the mix an extensive re-arrangement, additional instrumentation and more polished production. Following a final mix and master, courtesy of Sean Foran from Kiings, this collaborative labor of love is now ready for release.
Combining his signature warm and warbly synth lines with LUXI's dreamy vocal melodies, the latest single by Dashcam plays as the perfect backdrop for a lazy long weekend or a summer spent by the pool.