Back in late July, Laura Brehm released her brand new indie folk album Breathe. The acclaimed EP was released via Electric Bird Records and was written, performed, mixed and produced by Laura Brehm.
“After releasing my self-produced alternative/folk version of the ‘Breathe’ EP, I wanted to showcase fuller production featuring different EDM styles for these songs,” said Brehm. “I did a couple of videos for my YouTube channel which is a series that I’ve started called ‘EDM goes Acoustic’ where I select some of my favorite EDM collaborations that I have released and I do an acoustic spin on them as a live performance. For this EP, I took this idea the other way around, first releasing an acoustic set of songs and then releasing EDM versions of them.”
Related: Song Stems for Remixing
Since its release, Laura Brehm decided to pull in remixes from Rameses B, AK, Ephixa, Last Heroes & Crystal Skies, Faodail, Elliot Berger, and Watgood which can be streamed in full below.
“I spent years writing these songs and months producing them on my own. When it came time to bounce out all of the dry stems and send them off to be remixed, it was a very exciting moment for me. I had never sought out remixes before the actual release happened. But with my plan to release the acoustic EP and then the EDM version shortly after, I sent out the stems as soon as possible to allow the producers plenty of time to work on something. When I started getting the remixes sent back to me, I was so pleasantly surprised by them. The producers who did these remixes put their heart and soul into the productions and it was amazing to hear their take on the tracks. It was great to get a range of different styles on one remix EP as well: from synth-wave to dubstep, hyped-up to chill-out, and then to more experimental electronic, I honestly couldn’t be happier with the outcome!”
For this remix EP, Laura Brehm decided to release the EP on her own label Electric Bird Records. “I decided to release both the Breathe EP and the Breathe Remix EP on my own label, Electric Bird Records. I wanted to create a space in the music scene where folk & EDM live harmoniously, and where experimentation is welcomed. It’s in the very beginning stages, but the release of both of these EP’s definitely marks a point of progress for the label, following my single “Don’t Wait” last November and the ‘Future Holds’ EP with Evoke earlier this year.”
We also reached out to the artists that remixed Laura Brehm's new EP. Scroll down for what they had to say about working with Laura.
Rameses B: “When choosing a track to remix, it was ’Dance of Love’ that stood out to me. It was the chord progression and how the vocal harmonies worked together to create a swelling atmosphere that brings the listener from one emotion to the other, from a sense of tension to an uplifting relief.
I wanted to take these musical elements and create something that brings those feelings in a more energetic form. You can almost visualise a ‘dance of love’ between two individuals when the beat drops, it’s the power of the beat together with the sporadic arpeggios and chords that brings forward that sense of movement and sweetness.
The main focus was on the vocals and lyrics, the first part of the song describes previous emotional pain that is weighing down life, it was important to keep it simple and atmospheric here to signify the feedings of loneliness and the long road ahead; the lyrics in the build up induce hope and the longing to push through to the other side and the rising buildup acts as that emotional support; then the beat drops and visions of finding new love is achieved. This idea carries on throughout the production until it ends with a major key to bring an evolving journey to a happier ending.
I’ve always enjoyed working with Laura, her vocals always sit nicely in a mix and play the major role of bringing a song to life.”
Elliot Berger: “Always been a big fan of Laura's work and so I wanted to get this remix right. Do something that was a compliment to the original, but also a whole new tune in itself. Ended up switching it from Major to Minor and using very few stems. Really happy with how it turned out in the end, always a pleasure working with Laura's voice!”
Faodail: “After being a fan of Laura’s work for a long time it was awesome to be asked to remix a track for the EP alongside some artists I really look up to.
I wanted to try and keep the organic feel of the original while putting my own spin on it. I gave the vocals lots of room to breathe and kept them centre stage while building an atmosphere around them. Im really happy with how it turned out in the end!”
Watgood: “[Laura's] “Breathe” attempts display the beauty in simplicity. With a bare bones approach, it's tasteful sound selection and ethereal atmosphere aims to keep you transfixed from beginning to end, complimenting Laura Brehm's already delicate yet powerful vocal'.”
