Phazz & Everydayz' 'Almeria' LP is Future Bass Tinged by France's Past

Almeria is a city in Spain that faces the Mediterranean Sea. The name elicits images of quiet beachfront villages and relics like the centuries-old Alcazaba fort. It also shares reference with the debut collaborative concept LP by French producers Phazz and Everydayz. Lyon-based Phazz explains, "When we first started the LP, it was all about the sun, the color blue, the sea. We both come from the south of France, so we appreciate anything related with the sun."

Despite appearances, it was not the city itself that inspired the LP's title. "I remember Everydayz put on a song of Serge Gainsbourg at my place, it was 'Initials B.B,'" says Phazz. "Gainsbourg says at some point 'Almeria' in the song. We decided to keep digging this way to make the concept deeper. We wanted to give a name to this inaccessible girl of your dreams. It refers to the city, but it's especially the main character's first name. She is the album's core."

The two French producers used that passing phrase from a song released in 1968 to shape the foundation of an entire album. From there, it was all about "spontaneous creation." This is a notion that both artists believe in deeply, combining their diverse musical backgrounds to build a fresh aesthetic. Common logic would dictate that future bass aficionado Phazz and the trap-meets-hip-hop influenced Everydayz would take the heavy route throughout the LP, but they had a different idea in mind. Instead of dropping banger after banger, the duo have constructed a journey that flows from start to finish.

Most releases under 25 minutes don't have an introduction and three interludes, but that is what sets Almeria apart. Phazz states "This album is a real concept; a whole story we made. To us, it was a way to glue all of our different 'chapters"' of the entire story. It makes more sense to us when you listen to the whole album to get the little twists of it."

Take a listen through Almeria, and you will quickly understand what he means. Sounds of the sea, alarm clocks, dial tones, crickets chirping, and crowds cheering are just some of the noises conjoining the eclectic and visceral productions. These sounds help bridge recording sessions that took place in three different French cities. Each studio would help create a new inspiration, a new set of visuals to further develop the theme that sparked the inception of Almeria.

"The first recording session was done at Phazz's in Lyon," says Everydayz. "It was one of the most fun and hilarious weeks of my life. We spent our time producing beats, smoking trees, laughing hard and our first shots got us quickly really excited. "The second one was at my place in Perpignan, under the sun in the south of France," Everydayz goes on. "We only did one track over there, 'Trappe D'amour.' This city is more laidback and cozy, things go slower. The third and latest one was at Nowadays' studios in Paris. At this point, we were in a state of concentration and meditatio, nearly religious. We got immersed deeply into the sound and the feelings it provides."

Combine all this, and you get a futuristic LP that pulls influence from French culture of generations past. It's an album that Everydayz believes is best enjoyed "in a car, on the road to vacations at the beach, or any chill time under the sun." Then again, just close your eyes and you can imagine any of these perspectives. It's the musical equivalent of hearing the Ocean through a seashell.

Almeria will be dropping on April 20th through Nowadays Records, but you can stream the entire release right now for the first time. The LP is also currently available for pre-order through iTunes.

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Everydayz is on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter