Lauren Flax will release her new EP, ‘Out Of Reality’, via 2MR in August.
The Detroit-born, Brooklyn-based scene stalwart, producer, DJ and live artist pivots away from her typically club-focussed sound on this new six-track release, opting instead for a more expansive, ethereal style. While hints of her analog acid techno trademarks creep through the release, the prevailing themes of ‘Out Of Reality’ are cosmic and dreamlike. As she explains, the EP is intended as “more of a synth exploration, textures with less beats”.
You can hear the EP’s title track, which features elegiac vocals from School of Seven Bells’ Alejandra Deheza, below. The track also comes paired with a cinematic and psychedelic video directed by Joshua Durham and edited by Andrew Charles Edman, which portrays Flax as she wanders deserted New York streets at night.
Speaking about the release, Flax says: “‘Out of Reality’ and the EP in general came about as a push to explore new landscapes for me. I can’t really stick to a particular genre or sound so this song really was the birth of a new style that I am getting deeper and deeper into. Working with Ally honestly brought me to tears. It was my favorite type of collaboration to see what my music can bring out of someone else creatively. I just love what she did so much.
Describing the video, Flaxed adds: “We really wanted to play with the concept of lucid dreams. I believe there can be a lot of healing hidden within the realm of dreams so I wanted to explore that a bit. It won't be cohesive or linear but neither are dreams. and from what I understand after the last year or so, neither is reality.”
‘Out Of Reality’ also features a remix from Skream. The EP will be released via 2MR on 6th August. You can pre-order here.
In 2019, as part of DJ Mag’s Mental Health Issue, features editor Lauren Martin spoke to Flax about her use of psychedelics in her personal healing process. You can read that here.