Soaring in from New York City, the indie Funk-Rock band Pre-Sexual Activities pays tribute to how we once listened and shared music with their latest conceptual single and music video, "Spotify Your Life."
Known for their motivational, keen, and meaningful pieces, the funk masters Pre-Sexual Activities never fail to shine a light on topics that make the listener nod their head in a state of reflection.
Expanding on the music video for "Spotify Your Life," the scene opens with a man knocking on his lovers' door with a record, where they happily share their affection and devotion through music. As he returns with a cassette, and then a CD, he later makes his last return with nothing but a phone where his significant other breaks the fourth wall and stares into the camera with an emotionless stare.
The video then shines a light on Irving Louis Lattin sadly closing down Second Hand Records where Pre-Sexual Activities accompany him while blindfolded and drearily singing of how we've all seemed to Spotify our lives and forgotten the true essence of what sharing and buying music has to offer.
The song itself is incredibly lush and dreamy, especially as Pre-Sexual Activities offer their melancholy undertones through their soothing harmonies and smooth jazz-like instrumentation. Not to mention Irving Louis Lattin's soulful vocals; he truly offers this rich and passionate tone to the song that enhances Pre-Sexual Activities' cinematic, downtempo, and hazy instrumental atmosphere.
We deeply appreciate such a meaningful, nostalgic, and thought-provoking single/music video like "Spotify Your Life," and we're sure you will too. Find the single on all digital streaming platforms and watch the music video on YouTube.
We're wildly impressed with the concept and meaning you've delivered within your recent single and music video, "Spotify Your Life." What inspired your group to create a song that reminds listeners of how we once shared music and the intimacy it brought with it?
To be honest with you, the song came about one afternoon jamming in our studio. Nikolaus blurted out the Spotify Your Life hook, and we were off and running. Andrea came up with the esthetic of the song, creating the story about the loss of much of our music culture. And being musicians by trade, the 80’s and soul music references in Spotify Your Life provided us with a playground we are comfortable in.
What drew you to the stylings of Irving Louis Lattin to hop on board as a featured artist within "Spotify Your Life"? How did he fit the standards and sound you were looking for?
The song required a traditional R&B vocal for the verse we wrote. Irving is an old friend and colleague from NYC’s music scene. His tone and Chicago Blues roots are such a rarity these days. When we finalized the concept for Spotify Your Life, his name came up immediately, and we were lucky to have him. Irving is a treasure.
Could you introduce us to the members of your group and how you went about creating such a dreamy and lush instrumental atmosphere for "Spotify Your Life"?
Pre-Sexual Activities are the two of us, Andrea Monorchio and Nikolaus Schuhbeck. Together, we have worked on countless projects as both producers and/or performers, and complement each other perfectly. As for the instrumentation - both of us are lifelong students of the Great’s arranging skills, and we try our best to honor that tradition, simultaneously hoping to move the artform forward.
To create that particular sound in Spotify Your Life, we tried to emulate the sarcasm of the song’s topic. The “lushness” of the instrumental section exposes the naivete of the music consumer, fooled by the convenience of having unlimited access to music’s massive catalog. In turn, music creators and producers, hungry for exposure, forfeit monetary compensation for their work, falling victim to that very same trap. In the video for Spotify Your Life, we tried to visualize that conundrum by showing the consumers & creators in blindfolds.
What was your band's creative process like?
We both have our own ideas and creative strategies but working together is a lot more fun. We are partners but even more so, we are good friends. It is a lot more productive to bounce ideas off each other and let the other react. This way, we share our creative responsibilities while getting a kick out of pleasing each other. Our process is very much inspired by the fact that we run our own recording studio in Brooklyn. Every time a new idea sparks our attention, we utilize the tools at our disposal - our musicianship and our deep love for production and songwriting.
If there was one message that viewers could take away from your music video for "Spotify Your Life," what would you want that to be?
We think the overwhelming sentiment of Spotify Your Life is the tragic devaluation of music ever since streaming platforms have entered the mainstream. That holds true for culture in general, and music in particular. Although we recognize its convenience, the monetary split in profits is incredibly unfair. Something needs to be done to change this. There has been an active debate among creators for some time on this matter, and we hope that a track like Spotify your Life can push the discussion into the public forum.
What's next?
We are currently in production for another album with the Italian label Flipper Music, still promoting Spotify Your Life, while evaluating new songs for a follow-up to this current Single.