After teasing his fans with some singles such as the trippy "Miss Phatty" and the surreal love-laden "Squeeze", Lou Phelps has returned with his full-length sophomore project '002 / LOVE ME'. The 10-track project is a blend of his many influences from hip-hop, R&B, electronic music and of course, inspiration from personal experiences. On this one, his older brother Kevin, aka the Polaris Prize-winning producer KAYTRANADA, serves as executive producer, along with guest spots from BADBADNOTGOOD, JAHKOY, Planet Giza, Pony and drum master Karriem Riggins. The production also varies as he taps Planet Giza, Kaytra of course, ROMderful of tastemaker label Soulection and others to help curate the perfect canvas for his unbridled flow and offbeat style.
While y'all take some time to stream the solid effort, we also sat down for a brief conversation with the young man himself and we shoot the breeze about music, life, and Montreal.
What was the inspiration behind the album title?
In my eyes, the human being lives for emotions. And what is the strongest emotion of all: Love. All I want is for people to love my music and to love me.
How was the recording process different on this new project since you worked with other producers besides Kaytra?
The process isn’t that different. I actually work better with Planet Giza than I work with Kay. They give me like the whole idea of the song when I hear the beat. Kay just gives me the best beat he has and he’s like alright, do your thing. But I like when the producer is involved in the process of creating the song with the artist. It gives the exact vision that the producer had on the song while making the beat.
The track "August Rain" is a particularly interesting song as it is somewhat different with its live instrumentation styled groove and alt-pop arrangement. Could you give us a rundown of how that track came to be?
Rami B of Planet Giza sent me the beat and I was amazed that he played the whole thing himself. It gave me the NERD vibe. Then I realized I always wanted to do something like this but I never had the opportunity. I listened to the “Nothing” album of NERD and got inspired by it.
Being from Montreal, what unique trait do you think makes your music stand out from the rest?
I think my music doesn’t sound like anybody else’s. Nor does it try to imitate someone else’s style. We see a lot of people trying to make the trap stuff or the emo rap. I just wanna make positive music for people to dance to.
Where is your favorite poutine spot?
I would say La Belle Province on Taschereau in Longueuil. It’s honestly the most consistent one.
What has been your most memorable or inspirational gig and why?
Probably playing in Europe. My first show of the European leg of he 99.9% tour. Berlin was insane, I didn’t think the people knew me there but they got wild when I got on stage. At first I thought “ok maybe they think I’m kaytra” but nah they knew me, they knew my name. It was beautiful.
What has been your strangest celebrity encounter?
I don’t think I’ve had a lot. It’s not strange it’s just funny. I remember being in San Francisco at a party Kaytra was mixing. Thundercat was there and literally the whole time was talking bout how wack my Jewelry was. All of that was done in a joking atmosphere of course
Name 5 songs (yours excluded) that we would expect to find in your music library.
- New Patek – Lil Uzi
- Just Friends – Musiq Soulchild
- Reel it in – Aminé
- The Light – Jeremih
- Cancun – Playboi Carti
What special-hero type skills are you blessed with?
I’m good at predicting stuff.
Lou will deliver the new music live on stages across Canada through a fall tour, with stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto.
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