AMPERSOUNDS, a new project by French house pioneer Fred Falke and one of LA's most renowned DJs, Zen Freeman, has been quietly building traction over the previous two years. A run of buzzed-about Orange label albums have featured the likes of Todd Edwards, Macy Gray, and Rufus Wainwright, and have flitted between floor-filling edits and legendary original house tracks.
The duo’s music, which combines Parisian house, classic UK club bliss, and vintage LA synthesizers, has ageless appeal and worldwide dancefloor appeal. Nightdrive, their most recent album, exemplifies what makes AMPERSOUNDS such a strong combination. Swirling 80s synthesizers, Mr. Hudson’s effortlessly cool vocal performance, and some LA club magic and glitz. Daft Arts Cedric Hervet, who has handled creative direction for Daft Punk for many years, is the creative director for the video, which stars Alessandra Ambrosio.
Falke and Freeman have known each other for years; they both live in Los Angeles and have shared a studio for over seven years. Throughout the epidemic, AMPERSOUNDS became a priority for both of them, acting as a feel-good creative outlet. In addition to touring, Freeman manages the Sunset party at Ian Schrager’s Edition in Los Angeles, which has welcomed James Murphy, DJ Harvey, Heidi Lawden, Carl Cox, and others.
AMPERSOUNDS’ big label first record, ‘Technopera,’ included Rufus Wainright’s unusual vocals. The song was immediately praised by Pitchfork and Variety, and it was included on sites such as Spotify’s Friday Cratediggers playlist and Apple Music’s New Music Daily. ‘Technopera,’ according to Billboard, is “a softly pulsating, steadily developing, honest-to-god high-level club smash.”
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