BEAUTIFUL BUZZZ

Rob Araujo

VALENTINE & ROB ARAUJO - EMBRACE (FEAT. PATCHES)

Music, Original MixMike DooseComment

VALENTINE is a producer who knows what he’s doing and isn’t afraid to take risks with his sound. We’ve covered the virtuosic young sound designer before here at BB and are always eager to hear what he comes up with next. So when we heard he was releasing his debut album via Majestic Casual Records, to say we were excited would be an understatement.

The album, a concept album chronicling VALENTINE’s journey through love with his fiancée, is being released episodically and “Embrace” is the third episode. It also marks his debut as a vocalist. The track is a unique amalgam of different influences, incorporating elements of jazz from pianist Rob Araujo and smooth hip hop verses from rapper Patches. The resulting fusion is a style I’ve never quite heard before, it pairs VALENTINE's maximalist sound design with a musically sophisticated palette reminiscent of artists like Anderson Paak, Kaytranada and Smino.

Accompanying the release, you'll find lots of other compelling content like this creative music video and a mysterious website for the album.

Waxing poetic about the single, VALENTINE speaks about the track as if addressing his lover:

Sometimes, I just think about all the times we rode the train to see each other; all the times I sprinted from those doors to your arms and held you for the first time in weeks. 

The pattern repeats as I come home from traveling and rush into the apartment to hold you again.

Sometimes, I get caught up in my insecurities; I know we both do. Truthfully, it was never our purpose to be perfect. 

Sometimes, I wonder: “What is my purpose?”

The pattern repeats as I realize all I can do is embrace our individuality, the memories we share, and all the experiences that we have yet to discover.

LANA DEL REY & THE WEEKND - LUST FOR LIFE (VALENTINE & ROB ARAUJO REMIX)

Music, RemixAlli LindseyComment

I have one rule- don't remix Zeppelin. Anyone, and anything else is up for grabs, but that doesn't mean it's an easy feat. For example, America's ultimate sad girl, Lana Del Rey...not easy to flip. Her charmingly smoky vocals, and avant-garde depression- it works. But Moving Castle's Valentine, and multi-instrumentalist Rob Araujo tackled a Lana remix with a swift swagger. The original track, "Lust For Life" featuring The Weeknd just got a chrome makeover, and a taste of the future. Light up your square, Lana, it's impressive. The co-remix heeds elements of future bass, glitch funk, and uses bouncy production to hollow out a landscape for Lana, and The Weeknd's grammy award winning vocals to continue to shine. This track goes up, down, and side to side yet remains strictly, and intentionally composed. This "Lust For Life" remix is far out enough to be the future of indie-electronic, and approachable enough to remind you of the most witchy woman in the game right now.