Fairmont (CA)

Roving Canadian troubadour Jake Fairley aka Fairmont has built up a loyal worldwide following throughout his ten-year-long musical career. In 2005 he released ‘Gazebo’ a club monster that sold 20,000 copies, had steady national radio play in many countries and solidified Fairley as a critical figure in the world of electronic music. Prior to this, he had released three albums and several EP’s under various pseudonyms on top-notch dance-floor imprints such as Cologne’s Traum and Kompakt, Berlin’s Sender and Toronto’s Dumb-Unit. In 2007 Jake made what has become regarded as his most accomplished artistic statement to date with his warm and fuzzy ‘Coloured In Memory’ Fairmont album for James Holden’s Border Community label. His trademark driving analog machine-funk was fused with hypnotic vocals and woozy interludes to put his personalized spin on the danceable, melodic electronics concept. The album not only brought a new level of critical acclaim including a 7.9 on Pitchfork, but also ensured that Fairley would start spending even more time on the road. Jake has since given himself over wholeheartedly to the nomadic lifestyle that is the inevitable lot of the North American electronic music producer. Bouncing back and forth between Canada and Europe, showing off his ever-expanding live arsenal which now includes four analog synthesizers, two drum machines, his trusty sampler and a slew of other toys. The results are raw, physical, intense, and thoroughly charming – and not a laptop in sight! The past few years have also seen a swathe of Fairmont EP releases including the techno monster ‘All Dreams Are Nightmares’ on Areal and the disco-tinged ‘Emax/Bercy’ on Beachcoma. But it was the slightly gothic ’3 Cities EP’ for Traum and the very indie-leaning ‘Velora’ on Border community that shed light on where things were heading next…