We asked La La to walk us through the second set of remixes for her debut release, ‘give yourself a try.’
I had been touring the world for years as ‘just a DJ.’ As such, I was reluctant to adhere to the expectations of others when finally releasing my own music. I wanted my first release to be a substantial body of work, and ten tracks represented that.
The foundational aspect of most tracks is the Roland TR-909 to give them that classic sound. I used the Arturia Beatstep Pro a lot to help chop vocal samples and also program an abundance of claps. Also included were the Vermona Retroverb Lancet, Mooger Fooger Cluster Flux, and Roland SH-101 for melodic aspects and effects. Everything was written in Ableton Live with some programming via Ableton Push II also.
The first remix drop consisted of Tommy 2000, Denham Audio, DJ ADHD and Chloé Robinson, Beau Didier and Jaymie Silk. The second drop includes remixes from Skream, Kikelomo, Amaliah, Saol Nua, and Pleasure Corp. I’m so proud to have brought together such a range of established and new artists to the table.
Track 1 – La La – ‘it’s miss’ (Skream Remix)
This track was inspired by Missy Elliot, one of my favourite female artists and a personal inspiration to me.
I’ve included some vocal snippets of Missy in this, hence the name. This was to showcase a more housey side. I still love it after all this time. One night, really late, I sent this track to Skream and told him I was going to get these remixed. He heard “It’s Miss” and said, “Give me a couple of hours.”
He used no stems and sent me voice notes all night with snippets of his work, which included some wicked modular synthesis. He really just flexed his genius abilities.
Track 2 – La La – ‘fumbled’ (Kikelomo Remix)
This is still my favourite record out of the ten tracks. I still occasionally play it in my sets, even so long after making it. That’s a successful track in my eyes.
Kikelomo is one of my closest pals in the industry; her opinion is gold. I always send her new music as soon as it’s made. This is her first remix since moving from a DJ to a producer – sound familiar? Here, she’s turned the track on its head, from a big percussive banger to a soulful house beauty with some lovely vocals added.
I love the low organ and bass interacting, the big kicks, and the subtle London vibe. For this, Kikelomo used many Kontakt 7 instruments, plus other Native Instrument plugins such as Replika, Raum, and Flair.
Track 3 – La La – ‘what ur looking for’ (Amaliah Remix)
The original track here is very popular in clubland, but it’s not one I play a lot. I think it’s tough to make good house music with vocals without sounding cheesy, and I’m happy with the outcome.
Amaliah has put her spin on it, using many original stems, which is a massive compliment. Her use of space, including some sick panning, creates a wide spectrum of frequencies, making those highs and lows sound very high and low. This UK bass tinged remix is killer.
I have so much respect for Amaliah. She’s made the original track even better, making it one of my favourites on the compilation. She’s one of the most exciting artists around; get to know her.
Track 4 – La La – ‘ic24’ (Saol Nua Remix)
With ic24, and scot, from my original release were when I knew the LP was a complete project.
These tracks offered something different—an alternative sound and structure to create the variety I craved.
24 is my angel number, so I naturally see it everywhere, and when I rendered this track, it was 24 minutes past the hour, hence the name. Saol Nua is a big part of the Brand New Records family as he’s my label manager, and I’m so happy he came on board for this project.
He used the Novation Bass Station II to get that deep rolling bassline and chopped up the original sampled vocals to create a nice, sexy groove. The Soundtoys plugin set makes a solid appearance here, with lots of MicroShift and EchoBoy creating that space throughout.
Track 5 – La La – where we come to feel (Pleasure Corp Remix)
The original version of this track was the first I wrote when locked in the studio to create my LP. It has two of my friends on vocals, Sam & Jamie, who sent me voice notes via WhatsApp on request.
I then jumped on the mic, too. It’s about dancefloors; music is about feeling to me, and dancefloors are where I go to feel.
Pleasure Corp used stuttery metallic processing on my vocal sample, sharp, modulated layers of acid from the TB-303 to cut through the mix, and a highly modulated, resonant SH-101 bass. It’s a great way to round off a mega project.
La La ‘give yourself a try’ the remixes part II is out now. Listen on Spotify.
Find La La on Instagram.
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