It was already turning cold in the U.K. in November 2009 when Frankmusik (aka Vincent Frank) zipped up his Eastpack with the last remnants of his London life: laptop, headphones and a few articles of clothing. The BMX bike – a mainstay of his former life as a championship junior rider – would have to stay.
“Just as well,” thought Frank, “the less, the better.” And with that, he set off for Los Angeles.
But why? After all, Frankmusik’s first album, Complete Me, had charted top 15 in the UK generating no less than 3 singles in “3 Little Words,” “Better Off As Two,” and “Confusion Girl.” He’d helped launch the career of label-mate Ellie Goulding who’d go on to have two no. 1’s in the UK. He’d sold out his own 20-date headline tour across Britain. And, he’d discovered and helped bring recognition to up-and-coming artists and producers such as Sky Ferreira and Starsmith not to mention handcrafted cutting-edge remixes for the likes of Lady Gaga and Pet Shop Boys. But Frank had always listened to his internal, creative compass and, now, it was firmly pointing in the direction of California.
“I wanted to sever any semblance of a safety net,” recalls Frank, “I’d been to L.A. before and I’d always felt a kindred city spirit but the idea of pulling out the rug from under myself also appealed to me on a creative level.”
Los Angeles was far from the clubs of London where Frank had honed his new, bold style: a combination of alt-synth pop, hard-knocking beats and flowing melodies. Again, on pure instinct, Frank set up shop in the downtown L.A. area. With its burgeoning art galleries, studios and boutiques, downtown was beginning to enjoy a creative resurgence. In fact, the area would soon spawn the G6-flying, alt-electro-hip hop group Far East Movement with whom Frank would go on to collaborate on their song “Fighting for Air” and Frankmusik’s “Do It in the AM:” the title song of Frankmusik’s new album.
Preview "Do It In The AM" feat. Far East Movement and the remixes: http://soundcloud.com/igamusic/sets/frankmusik-do-it-in-the-am/s-7yRFW
Single is available via iTunes on May 3rd
Once again, Frank’s radar had been exact and the vibrant downtown environment began to inspire new songs in him. “Everything felt new,” he remembers. “Scary, but new.”
It was just then that Frank went to meet with songwriter, producer and head of Cherrytree Records, Martin Kierszenbaum, on the recommendation of his label Island Records.
“I was a big fan of Frankmusik’s first album,” recalls Kierszenbaum, “so I jumped at the chance to meet him. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that we both shared a love for progressive pop music, but I remember Frank hard-eying my Yamaha CP-70,” says Kierszenbaum laughing, “so I invited him to play. His extraordinary voice and musicianship instantly filled the room and I knew then it would be an honor to be involved in any way.”
Sure enough, the two began songwriting and producing together and a creative relationship was forged that would lead to Frankmusik joining the roster of Cherrytree Records in the US. Their collaboration would also yield the first single from Do It in the AM: “The Fear Inside” the video for which was shot in downtown Los Angeles.
“’The Fear Inside’ is a song about relieving the pressures and complications of the modern world through the strength of a close and intimate relationship,” explains Frankmusik smiling. “And it wasn’t too bad getting to show that with Natalie [lead actress] in the video.”
Helmed by cutting-edge director Guillaume Doubet (Charlotte Gainsburg, Blaqstarr, Natalia Kills), “The Fear Inside” clip is a gritty look at contemporary life but also a metaphor for Frankmusik’s journey across borders in which initial disorientation leads to creative rebirth.
In other songs from Do It in the AM, Frank expands on that concept and touches on the universal themes of an interconnected world while, at the same time, laying down some floor-burning beats. In the title track, for instance, Frankmusik explores both the communal and isolating aspects of club culture while celebrating the general swagger of late night life. In the instantly appealing “No ID” – a duet with Cherrytree label mate Colette Carr – Frank explores modern romance through rampant, unabashed, late-night party hopping. “Footsteps” is trademark Frankmusik pop: engaging and uplifting with melody and heart simultaneously. “Wrecking Ball” and “We Collide” deal with destructive tendencies in a relationship while “Struck by Lightning” addresses the repercussions. The inevitable break-up and beautiful melody of “No Champagne,” a poignant duet with Natalia Kills, slow-dances between acceptance and regret.
With the new album, Do It in the AM, Frankmusik continues to push himself creatively and evolve a sound he’s pioneered: a mixture of progressive electro-pop, banging club beats and soaring melodies in which personal emotion and dark sonic impulses thrive. As Frankmusik explains, “everything great is always conjured up in the late hours of the night. And, that’s why we do it in the AM.”
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