ARMS AND SLEEPERS, the exploratory, multi-style electronic creation of experimental duo Mirza Ramic and Max Lewis, are about to unveil their new album FIND THE RIGHT PLACE, on April 13th via Pelagic Records, and today we’re giving you a chance to dive into their newest tune called Be This Way, featuring ethereal LA artist Steffaloo.
Electronic and synth music appeared to be a revolution similar to the emergence of punk or the evolution towards post rock. Many inventive artist opened a new dimension of sound and made even more diverse by marrying synth sounds with various mutations and off-shoots like trip-hop and the mentioned post rock. On IDIOTEQ, we’ve welcomed hundreds of bands that blended the core sonic foundation with their own style and modern innovations, proving that DIY music lives on and delivers loads of great records each and every month. As in heavier departments we’ve been monitoring for years, the variety of sounds electronic music can offer today is wider than it was in the past, and ARMS AND SLEEPERS has always been a promising platform for well-balanced, tasteful crosssover sounds. Their newest record FIND THE RIGHT PLACE proves their prolific stature as one one of the most fascinating acts to watch in this game. Pre-order HERE and listen to the new track “Be This Way” below. More new tracks can be found after the scroll, along with the full listing of their upcoming tour dates.
For fans of: FLYING LOTUS, RJD2, FOUR TET, BONOBO, PORTISHEAD, GORILLAZ, EMANCIPATOR, PG.LOST, AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR, 65 DAYS OF STATIC.
“This song was actually one of the first ideas we had for our previous album, dating back to 2016. It didn’t fit the vibe of that album so we put it aside and didn’t really think we’d use it on anything else. But as our new album started taking on a more aggressive sound, this track came back to life. The instrumental version stayed pretty much the same as the demo version from two years ago, and it was Victor Ferreira of Sun Glitters who added Steffaloo’s vocals on top. The vocals are in fact taken from an old Sun Glitters track, reworked a bit to fit our song. So like much of our recent material that relies heavily on sampling, these vocals were in a way sampled as well – by our co-producer, from one of his own songs.”
The American electronic music duo Mirza Ramic and Max Lewis have compiled an impressive discography of 26 releases in their 11 year history as ARMS AND SLEEPERS. They have collaborated with dozens of prominent artists (Tom Brosseau of Fat Cat Records, Serengeti of Anticon, Philip Jamieson of Caspian, and Victor Ferreira of Sun Glitters, among others) and worked on numerous remixes (Caspian, Helios, Ef, From Indian Lakes, and many others). Their music has also been widely used in various TV, radio, and online media programming, including VICE and NPR.
While Lewis lives in the US, Ramic is currently based in Europe, from where he has taken ARMS AND SLEEPERS to stages across North & Central America, Europe and Asia mainly as a one-man show in recent years… the full live band lineup (trio) appears only on special occasions.
ARMS AND SLEEPERS originated in the post-rock scene over a decade ago, and while they still occasionally perform at post-rock festivals like Dunk!, their music on recent releases has been transcending the narrow confines of that scene, oscillating more between “chilled hip-hop beats, glitching electronics and ambient progressions” (The Huffington Post) than the typical wailing delay guitars and drum crescendos. They have always been an act difficult to categorize.
…comments Mirza Ramic about FIND THE RIGHT PLACE:
“In August 2017, Arms and Sleepers played a show in Durbe, Latvia, officially the smallest city in the entire country with a population of about 500. I was there with my close friend Victor Ferreira (of Sun Glitters, who also co-produced our last album), and the show was organized by another good friend, a promoter who I’ve known since 2011 and who’s even performed live as part of Arms and Sleepers. With about 100 people packed into a tiny space, as I was doing my usual end-of-show Q&A with the audience, it dawned on me that after 11 years of actively being involved in the underground music scene, this was my place.
The music community that I’d been a part of had given me some of the most meaningful life experiences, memorable moments, and, most importantly, individuals that I now consider some of my closest friends. It was then fitting that we would use an image from that night as the album cover. Taken by Victor during my live performance, it’s a small peak into the world of independent, underground culture. All of us there (yes, even the sleepy fellow in the image) seemed to have found the right place.
On one of the LP and CD artwork panels for our new album FIND THE RIGHT PLACE is a quote by the late Czech intellectual, politician, and artist Vaclav Havel. Knowing that his life was coming to an end, he spoke of leaving a mark on the world no matter how seemingly small and insignificant. For me, finding the right place in our lives is the only way to leave a mark on the world. We have to be comfortable with who we are and understand what our place in the world is in order to have a sense of finality and achievement when our limited time on earth draws to a close. Despite all the continual obstacles that an obscure, underground artist faces, after 11 years of doing Arms and Sleepers I have come to appreciate our place in the music world and all those around us that continue to engage with our work.
As Havel writes, “All my life I have simply believed that what is once done can never be undone and that, in fact, everything remains forever. In short, Being has a memory.” Our collective memory—in small town venues in Latvia, unmarked industrial spaces in Hong Kong, or DIY parties in abandoned buildings in Guatemala—is something that we cherish with deep gratitude. FIND THE RIGHT PLACE has many themes flowing throughout it, but the most important one is that of the underground spirit which fuels our independent culture and thinking.”
‘The group refuses to adhere to any scene in particular, and its subdued, magical sound remains unique.’ – NPR
‘Crunched hip hop beats, R&B textures and slick, glistening 80s style synth pop.’ – Clash
‘Gorgeous soundscapes that invigorate and awaken the mind and spirit’ – Impose Magazine
‘Arms and Sleepers prove once again that they’re making some of the most cerebrally and emotionally affecting electronic music out there.’ – Earmilk
ARMS AND SLEEPERS on tour:
13.04.2018 – DK – Copenhagen, A Colossal Weekend
15.04.2018 – PL – Wroclaw, DK Luksus
16.04.2018 – PL – Warsaw, Bardzo Bardzo
17.04.2018 – PL – Torun, NRD Klub
19.04.2018 – PL – Poznan, Meskalina
20.04.2018 – RU – Kaliningrad, Citi Jazz Club
21.04.2018 – RU – Moscow, 16 Tons Club
22.04.2018 – RU – St. Petersburg, Erarta Stage
24.04.2018 – UA – Kiev, Mezzanine
25.04.2018 – UA – Lviv, FESTrepublic
27.04.2018 – UA – Odessa, More Music Club
29.04.2018 – UA – Dnipro, Module Club
30.04.2018 – UA – Kharkiv, Art Area DK04.05.2018 – GER – Viechtach, Altes Spital
05.05.2018 – CZ – Slavicin, HAW
09.05.2018 – CZ – Brno, Kabinet Muz
11.05.2018 – GER – Nürnberg, Club Stereo
12.05.2018 – GER – Munich, Zehner
13.05.2018 – GER – Dresden, GrooveStation
14.05.2018 – CZ – Prague, Roxy
15.05.2018 – GER – Leipzig, Moritzbastei
17.05.2018 – GER – Oberhausen, Drucklufthaus
18.05.2018 – GER – Berlin, Pelagic Fest
23.05.2018 – GER – Köln, Bumann & Sohn
25.05.2018 – FR – Paris, Supersonic
27.05.2018 – GER – Landau, FATAL
29.05.2018 – HU – Budapest, Robot
30.05.2018 – AT – Vienna, dasBach
