What do you get when you put together soul, disco, and house music? Just ask Montreal-based producer Fonkynson, who calls himself a future-disco-house man. Today we have the first look at his new album "Falling" which echoes the sounds of the French touch era and pioneers such as Daft Punk. He's taken these inspirations and channeled them into this 9-track funk journey on Falling.
Below we have an exclusive track-by-track breakdown from Fonkynson himself, diving deep into the inspiration behind each song off Falling. From instrumental releases like "Missed Connections" and lead single "Giving You", Fonkynson puts his versatility on full display. Feel-good melodies, awash with deep house, bass aspects, and disco tunes sit across the entire album as an eclectic mix that will get you to want to get up, dance and move.
Tracks like "Giving You" use soulful vocal work over cleverly thought out bumpin’ basslines and heavy synth touches. Tracks like "Ultra Violet" turn to heavy sampling with a bit of a hip-hop appeal which comes from his inspirational roots with acts like a Tribe Called Quest, giving the track a crossover appeal. "Nuits Blanches" is an entire French pop record, featuring vocals by Laurence from the band Le Couleur. Speaking of the overall album, Fonkynson tells us over email, "Falling is an album where I took time and perspective about my music. It reflects what I have been through the past years, musically and personally. I wanted something else, more mature music and less club music, music you can listen to on your couch and still is relevant." Check out Fonkynson's in-depth overview of each single below.
"Missed Connection"
Missed connection, I always thought this phrasing to be very poetic. However the state of mind I was in when I composed it wasn’t the original meaning, but more of a missed connection between you and your own life, your destiny. That’s even sadder when you think about it, but also more inspiring and poetic, and gather so much more emotions I think.
I wanted a strong, heavy, and clubby sound for this one, in contrast with the emotions that are provided by the melody.
"Mind Games" feat. Desiire
This song is about our tendencies as humans to be our enemies when it comes to life matters. Negative self-talk is something we all deal with but don’t necessarily talk about, especially in music. The featured singer Desiire made an amazing job at writing a positive and uplifting song that inspires as well as makes you dance. Best of both worlds!
"Falling"
I was in a special mood when I began to play some keyboards that rainy day, a bit nostalgic, not sad, but just like when you cherish a memory, a special moment that is gone, that was overflowed with feelings you didn’t necessarily know how to deal with but decided to live anyway. I don’t get sad when I remember painful moments, I dig into them, and this song came out of this. I wanted it to be a song you can lose yourself into, where you can let your feelings express, go inward, and introspection, but also a song you can dance to, close your eyes and let yourself go.
"You Got it" feat. Vaness
During the creation process of the album, I had this beat I composed, kind of sunny chill 808 bass-driven track with a relaxed west coast vibe if you want labels haha. I firstly aimed for an instrumental but tried some acapella quickly on the track to have a hint of where it could go, a pretty nice producer trick I often do. Then I fell in love with that R&B vibe a female voice could bring to it.
I began to search for an artist to ask for a feature and saw Vaness’s profile on Soundcloud. I loved her vibe, her range, the vocal fioritures that reminded me of 90s R&B divas, I asked her and really crossed fingers, I really wanted her on that record.
She loved the instrumental and said yes. She took quite some time to record a demo, but I remember when I finally got it, I was with an old friend visiting me from France, with whom I always made music and DJ’d when we were in college. I opened the file and we listened to it together. We both were like wow, she f****g killed it. And it was exactly what I hoped for and way beyond. It wasn’t a demo, it was the final song. Touchdown.
"Giving U Up" feat. Desiire & Kôsa
The song Giving U Up was born on the idea of making a love song, an electro love song. I had all the structure pretty much ready when I asked Desiire if he'd be down for another collab on the album. He loved the instrumental and brought another level, the idea of love being given a second chance. Sometimes in romance and relationships, we are often not able to start over and begin and this song allowed to write about the experience but in a positive way. Then the singer Kôsa from Toronto joined the party and the song took off literally. I'm really happy with the result and it's probably my most advanced production to date.
"Reefer Madness"
It’s not always easy to express abstract feelings through instrumental music, but I did my best to translate those emotions in this track. This one is about the anxiety you can have so often it begins to make a place, a cocoon where you feel comfortable, like a poisonous home. I like the unbalanced and sickness feel, while the melodies are emotional and comforting.
"Ultra Violet"
This one is about a dream, this dream we sometimes make that is cozy, weird, mysterious but so vivid that it takes you a bit of time to process it after you woke up. Ultra Violet is more experimental and personal, I wanted to use instruments not often used in electro music, guitars and turntablism. I took care of the guitars, while I asked DJ Noyl to join and do crazy licks on the turntables.
"Nuits Blanches"
Nuits Blanches is more of a Frenchy pop thing, I had this synths lines that I liked, and since the beginning I knew only one person who could give life to it, Laurence from the band Le Couleur.
"Atmosphère"
Is the closing track of the album, I wanted something uplifting, with some 90s influences, those sweet sounds that cradled my teenagers, and finish the album with a dreamy '80s sexy brass synth lick. It was the last song composed, as I wanted to have a sense of a finished album in my mind so I can write its conclusion.
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