Leading on from the success of their debut single, ‘Gratitude’ with Above & Beyond, anamē is the double act of Swedish hitmaker Marcus Schössow and production partner Thomas Sagstad that is already sending the industry into overdrive. Receiving support from the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Chicane and Judge Jules, anamē are proud to announce their new EP ‘she’ with two new cuts ‘She’ and ‘North Star’, aswell as a new remix by Luna Semara made to uplift and excite as the Summer months approach.
Their first offering, ‘She’, is a nine minute expedition of the progressive and the tantalising, a push and pull journey of oscillating synths, cascading melodies and tension-building hi-hats, ‘She’ is the perfect instigator to welcome in audiences to their uplifting world. Nodding to tech-house and hypnotic rolls of classic-turned-modern production, it references deeper strains of acid-adjacent workings that revolves with originality. Luna Semara’s remix takes things into the techno realm, adding in a vocal incorporation that is melodic and fortifying with an essence that soars high. It’s a welcome summation that, in bringing another element to the EP, consolidates the collective attributes to make the club shake.
‘North Star’, once again, brings the power-driven dancefloor leanings that shimmers and pulsates through its voyage, leading into a sparkling and scintillating taste of top-tier prowess. Rich with an emotive intensity and bringing four-to-the-floor goodness, anamē’s ‘She’ EP is a sure fire signal of what is only the beginning for the double act in vast ascension.
Anamé release their ‘She’ EP this May 20th via Luna Semara’s imprint Petit Matin!
WWD: Hey guys, thanks for speaking to us! Aname, please tell us about what inspired the EP and Luna, what made you want to put out the EP on your label Petit Matin?
anamē: Hello, thank you for having us! We wanted to showcase the full spectrum of what anamē is all about and also our love for the darker side of electronic music. We want our listeners and fans to have an experience – and for us, even though maybe cliche and overused, the journey is what matters. Sometimes we like to break everything down to its core so the details and nuances in the melodies and sounds can take center stage. With that said, we never sit down in the studio with the goal of creating anything specific, we always go with the flow and see where the ideas take us.
Luna: Marcus and I have been chating during the pandemic, exchanging ideas about music, life and synthis, sharing tracks. I dropped “She” at the O in Vienna, when Philipp Straub – a friend and promoter- heard it and then kindly texted me if he could have it. I asked Marcus for permission and found out the two tracker was still unreleased. So my next question was if I could have them both for Petit matin. His answer was obviously positive if I did a remix. And so the EP was born.
WWD: Aname, how does this differ from your recent debut release ‘Gratitude’? What did you hope to deliver across the EP, something primed for the dancefloor, or possibly even a little more introspective?
We touched on this previously, but by design this is a darker, more club oriented record. Whereas ‘Gratitude’ is a bit more “open”, the Ep is darker and full of subtle details where it demands more of the listener.
WWD: Luna, how did you approach remixing the title track ‘She’, that we are proud to be exclusively premiering from you guys today? Was it important for you to completely reinvent your take on the track, or more to create a merge of both of your sounds?
It kind of came naturally. Because I had been playing the original quite a lot and had digested it, it turned out to become an almost completely new take. For me it was crucial to add the vocals, as I am currently singing live during my shows and it is what I burn for right now, after more than a decade of DJing.
WWD: Aname, please also tell us about the second original track, ‘North Star’? Why did you feel like releasing an EP package, rather than the two as standalong singles, would be better?
For us it only truly makes sense as an EP. If you listen to the songs from start to finish, back to back – there are clues in the details. What Luna did added another level to the bridge between the songs as well, which we thought was super cool.
WWD: You guys also recently killed it at your performance at Amsterdam’s iconic Gashouder with Above & Beyond, how has it felt being able to finally tour again post-pandemic? Where else can we expect to catch you live over the Summer?
Thank you. Well, Gashouder was nothing short of a dream come true. It’s one of those bucket list shows. We missed touring a lot but I would say that – after working on anamē project for so long with very few people knowing what was going on and then being able to showcase all of it in an iconic place like Gashouder is mind-boggling to us. We had this moment during Friday’s set where we just simultaneously paused, looked at each other and really realised what was going on – it was emotional and just full of goosebumps. The welcome we got and response to our set, it’s a beautiful thing – so thank you Amsterdam, we will never forget that. As for future tour plans, we want to make sure we build this the right way – brick by brick – any show we are doing we want to make sure that the fans are getting value for their money. For the warm welcome we’ve been getting they deserve nothing less. We will announce tours/new shows on our platforms shortly.
WWD: And Luna, what are your plans for the label and heading out on the road yourself this coming season?
We have really beautiful music coming out soon by the likes of my partner Agatha Pher, Jonas Saalbach, Lauren Mia, Erly Tepshi, Made in Paris, Mikah, Elif… One of the things that really is close to my heart is to release music by as many female artists as I can. Sadly, in the melodic techno genre, we are very few successful female artists.
Gigwise, I just played a DJ and live set at Ritter Butzke in Berlin at Hannes Bieger’s record release party for his Balance series and I loved every minute. It was my first time singing ‘Breathe’, ‘Nothing Like You’ and ‘Lose control’ as well as ‘She’ live. The response was overwhelming, it really was one for the books.
Today I will be playing Space Miami. Next month Fabric London and Berns in Stockholm, where I shall meet with anamē and cheer on “She”.
WWD: Thanks guys and we’re loving the ‘She’ EP – out now via Petit Matin and you can exclusively stream Luna Semara’s remix of anamē’s ‘She’ below!
Release Date: May 20th, 2022. Buy Here
Luna Semara: Facebook // SoundCloud
Petit Matin: Facebook // SoundCloud