Calmstreet

After three years of hard and concentrated work it is done: Calmstreet's debut album with 14 tracks and the radio single "Finally". On display is a grown-up and mature album where synthetic sounds are easily balanced with guitars and string instruments and where female and male vocalists meet for a charming rendez-vous. Right after the first listening round, the tracks begin to sneak and creep into one's eardrums and claim to stay there in their rightful place. But who is this project called Calmstreet? For years, the two guys behind Clamstreet have been releasing progressive House tracks on their own label "modest records", which earned them respect and success within and beyond the Suisse club scene. Packed with this back catalogue, it doesn't come as a surprise that their debut album is released on "Mole". Calmstreet aka massivan and Jens Andersson are the composers and producers of this musical enrichment. With their album "3rd Wave", they have fulfilled their own dreams and nourished our desires. On their quest to unite pop and electronic music, they managed to succeed in what our ears have been missing since the 80s. On their album "3rd Wave", the electronic production sounds more unwieldy than that of many a Jazz band while they manage to create more Pop atmosphere than most mainstream projects: a 'golden touch' which makes them outstanding and distinguishable. The sound of Calmstreet is radio and charts compatible although it can't be put in any of the existing style drawers. Calmstreet takes advantage of the general development in music production, which culminated in making hard-disc recording and sampling a common procedure for most charts productions while staying on top of the game due to their skills and knowledge. The era of "equipment defines style" is a long time gone. Calmstreet makes extensive use of this insight and takes advantage of this situation in favour of variety. While most pop stars featured on the notorious teenage channels still employ some bizarre looking fake artists blowing into a saxophone or other mock instruments (the sounds of which are all synthetically produced), Calmstreet doesn't need to hide what makes them special. Quite niftily, they make a match between electronic 303 bass lines and acoustic Latin guitars. Auto tunes and various filter effects suggest trying to locate a never-heard instrument of Arabic origin, although we all know that these sounds are generated by some wicked microchip - aren`t they? After all this introductory words here comes the most important part: Who are these Calmstreet guys? massivan and Jens Andersson live and work in the heart of Zurich in a flat which mutated from comfy living area to over-boarding sound studio. Both had been trained on several instruments for years: from drums to violin to bass. In spite of their classical training and band experience, they both decided to attend the Sound Academies in Munich and Zurich. Massivan, who has grown into a much sought-after DJ in Zurich's soaring club scene, recognised his teacher at the SAE Zurich, Jens Andersson, as his future partner for an adventurous and creative journey. On this composition and production trip, which started years ago, they invited several vocalists and instrumentalists to join in and accompany them. Jens: "Our studio has become a meeting point for the exchange with other musicians. It is not our objective to work as a duo. The ideas and contributions of other people is a challenge for the development of our productions - the challenge to unite different minds and styles with our own ideas". massivan: "We see ourselves as a shelter for creative people. Each time we have guests, we learn something new - and hopefully they learn from us as well... "Their music is the outcome of their creative relations but also their soul food which is based on everyday life in Zurich. massivan: "Calmstreet could have become a pottery or a restaurant..." or "a fashion label" as Jens points out. But lucky world - they decided on becoming producers of music and ended up being a fantastic team. While one of them records the bassline for one of the upcoming new tracks, the other one twiddles with the buttons on the mixer and effect gadgets to create the distinctive Calmstreet sound. Sound and composition seem to mate, no matter if the song turns out to be a catchy vocal track or a spherical instrumental track enriched with pathos. Asked for future plans, Calmstreet immediately comes up with the answer: keeping the creative process going. They've already taken up work on their next album and currently spend 6 weeks in Spain to find the time, space and inspiration necessary for such a big new step. They are convinced that the surroundings at the isle of Formentera will have a positive impact on their creativity while also adding a special flavour to their work. They hope that their debut album sells enough units to provide them with the freedom to concentrate even more on what they already have been doing. For this, we can only wish them well. On their debut album Calmstreet invites you in for an imaginary comfy walk through forests with golden leaves, full of different timbres and melodies. Their previous contributions to Mole compilations earned them recognition and enthusiastic feedback: "Finally" on Room Service 2 and "Diamonds" on Listening Pearls 3. The album "3rd Wave" presents fresh and mellow tracks sneaking and creeping pleasantly into the listener's ears. The ambivalence of warm pads with versatile electronics manages to keep you thoroughly relaxed but never fails to grab your attention. Profound instrumental arrangements are well balanced with almost pop-like vocal tracks. All in all a mature, inspired and inspiring album. Ride on the third wave into master-class poplounge heaven. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.