LE SON is an experimental electronic duo consisting of Liam Fergus and Emily Ady.
The pair captured my attention a while ago with the release of two tracks ‘When It Rains, It Pours’ and ‘Oscillator’ back in 2015. The singles were an impressive introduction to what they had in store.
With a knack for blending meditative productions with intimate, and hypnotic vocals they cratf bewitching intricately-produced songs which you’ll hear on their upcoming self-titled debut EP.
Following a two year hiatus, they recently returned with the emphatic and hypnotic sounds of ‘Madness’, a track that we think is their strongest offering to date.
With the release of the new single and their debut EP on the way we talk to Liam and Emily and get the lowdown on all things LE SON.
Hey, great to chat with you both. So, for those who don’t know you, what’s the story behind LE SON?
L. Hey! So we met whilst both studying popular music at Goldsmiths.
E. We worked on an assignment together on our uni course, and from there it just clicked. That was back in maybe 2012/2013? We’ve written together ever since. We also translate our duo into a live setup with bass and kit, a 4 piece that really transforms our recordings.
L. And we only worked together on that assignment in the first place because the person I was supposed to work with ditched me – crazy how things work out like that!
Can you talk a bit about the upcoming EP. Is it all new material, or does it delve into your past work?
L. The EP is something we’ve been working towards for a few years now, but it’s all brand new material. A couple of the songs have been part of our live set for a while, so it feels good to have those in their fully formed version on the EP.
E. On the new EP we’ve also experimented with live bass from the incredible Will Hughes, as well as new vocal recording techniques and percussive sounds.
Tell us a bit about your new single ‘Madness’? What’s the story behind the track?
E. Madness tells the story of viewing unrequited love from afar. That horrible feeling of watching something unfold but being powerless to do anything about it. How everything can seem fine, then slowly a crazy complicated situation unravels around you.
Your music seems to pull on many varied genres and inspirations, tell us about how you bring your ideas together.
L. Most of the time I’ll come up with some ideas/loops and shoot them over to Em. A lot of the time she’ll interpret it in a completely different way to how I’d have imagined it so it captures both of our influences and inspirations quite nicely.
E. Yeah, the main ideas start from Liam, then if I really connect with a beat or a loop or an idea, then we’ll work and develop it together. As Liam said, it’s a nice way of working together because songs can develop into something completely different to where we started from.
You’re signed to Squareglass who for me have released some highly innovative tracks over the past few years from yourselves, Semi Precious, and Leiik. The label seems like the perfect fit, tell us about how that came about?
E. So we’ve known the Squareglass gang for a while as we all went to Goldsmiths. But we’ve always been fans of their sound and the feel of the label. It’s run by 3 incredibly talented musicians in their own right as well, which is inspiring. Every act they sign is completely original, something you’ve never heard before, we’re so happy to be a part of that. They love to push our individual sound and always back our creative ideas. The guys are also good mates of ours, working alongside your friends in this industry is such a pleasure.
L. Yeah, definitely cannot overstate how great it is to have a label run by musicians who are really trying to push artistry over purely commercial success.
What artist inspires you at the moment? And If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be?
L. I think there’s a lot of really incredible music coming out of London at the moment. Obongjayar is someone I’ve been digging a lot recently, I really like his sound and think that could be an interesting collaboration if the opportunity ever arose. And obviously, everything happening in and around the London jazz scene too – particularly huge fan of what Joe Armon Jones and Oscar Jerome are doing.
E. I’ve always been inspired by Little Dragon, again they are completely individual, from every album you get a different sound. I aspire to have as much energy and creative flow as they do. Vocally I have always been inspired by the likes of Bjork, Fever Ray, Beth Gibbons from Portishead, and more recently Anna Wise, Nai Palm & Adrianne Lenker – all these women push the boundaries of their vocal ranges and techniques. Something I strive to do myself.
When you’re not immersed in music, what are your interests?
L. I’m a very frustrated Arsenal fan, so often take to Football Manager to try and rectify things myself.
E. When I’m not making/listening to music, I am working in Radio/DJing. I love working hard with my Rinse FM family, presenting over on Balamii every month, as well as locking myself in practice rooms attempting to beat match… It’s also an ambition of mine to take up roller derby?? But I’m still mustering the courage to put my skates on after not skating since my teens…
What’s coming up for the rest of this year?
L. We’ve got a few live dates in the pipeline, so keep an eye out for those!
E. We also want to just keep writing/recording. There’s A LOT of work almost finished as well as always new stuff we’re working on. We’re very excited to get the next release finished and ready to go! Hopefully lots of live bits and new music for your ears.
Thanks again for your time! Peace!
