Boasting a impressive stream of dynamic, forward-thinking records from label partners Idoru and Sian (amongst others) since its inception back in 2019, burgeoning Indie Dance imprint Manta Recordings now looks to continue its prolific run of first-rate label output with the announcement of its latest EP release, this time from hotly-tipped British Synthwave duo, Maximum Love. Warmly welcoming the budding fraternal outfit for their eagerly anticipated label debut, Maximum Love join Manta this October with their blistering New Wave cut, Sometimes. Over 25 million streams to the good since emerging onto the scene with their critically acclaimed debut EP Midnight Astronaut back in 2014, brothers Jordi and Taylor now pull out all the stops with this latest retro cut, combining classic 80s influences and evocative, melancholic vocal lines with their unmistakably hazy retrospective soundscapes to masterful effect. We caught up with the guys from their home in St. Albans to find out more…
Hi Jordi and Taylor. Great to meet you guys. How are you both today?
Hey! Great to be here and thank you for having us on. We’re both doing well and at the moment we are really excited to get our new music out to the world.
Where in the world are you right now?
Most of the time we are sitting at a computer trying to make new music, but as for where we’re from, our hometown is the cathedral city of St. Albans, England, which is just a short way North of London. We are lucky to be from such a beautiful place filled with great culture.
For those of our readers that may be unfamiliar, please can you give yourself a quick intro?
We are Maximum Love, two brothers from the UK, and we make electronic music. We will never stop working until we have forced our music into everyone’s brain.
Can you tell us a little bit about the Maximum Love project and when you launched it?
Honestly, Maximum Love is a project that was conjured out of fun. We were kids with no training whatsoever, writing songs in our bedrooms ironically to make each other crack up laughing. Writing tracks just to be funny was a great way to build confidence and skill at a young age … and we still do it. It wasn’t until around 2011, when we wrote songs like Twin Crimes, that the realisation “wait, this is actually really good” hit. It was serious, and we felt that we created something that sounded unique, and since then it has all been about staying true to our sound and carrying it forward.
What’s the vision for the next five years?
We suppose the simple answer is just to keep releasing new music. Over the last couple of years, we have tended to take our time in between releases. Writing albums can take a lot out of some people, it can be spiritually draining. Especially if you are independent and have to manage every aspect of a release, which we have done for 99% of our career. Perhaps to have some collaborations and a couple more albums out in the next 5 years would be fulfilling. We hope to learn, grow and continue to produce high quality music that people will enjoy.
What sort of artists / styles of music are you inspired by?
We are inspired by so many different types and styles of music, and we think that reflects in the sound of our own music. To name a few genres, we would probably say things like: Psychedelic, Rock, Disco, Electro, French House, Classical, Trance, Acid/Techno.. but the list goes on and on. Growing up, we always shared the opinion that if the music sounds good, then it is good, regardless of the genre. If you make electronic music and grew up in the 90’s and early 2000’s, probably most obvious choice of inspirational artist would be someone like Daft Punk. Those guys are superstars, we love their work.
Congratulations on your new release ‘Sometimes’ on Manta Recordings. Sonically, what can we expect?
Thank you very much. ‘Sometimes’ is the kind of track that you can get totally lost in. It has a dreamy, ethereal sound, and a bass heavy chorus that we think delivers that extra hit to keep you coming back. The track has what you could call our signature vocoded/atmospheric vocals, punchy drums and we also got some really nice sounds using analogue gear on this track, particularly using the Juno 106. We’re really excited to see how it goes down amongst our fans, it is a labour of love. It’s also great to have Latroit on the remix too, his take on the track is a fine addition and complements nicely.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0c9jKBQ2RnNBX7JAwKctdh?si=EbTnJL5QQtaohE2ZxmHkzw
How did you connect with Idoru and the Manta team?
We first got into contact through label boss Graham AKA Sian. Right at the beginning of Covid when everyone was freaking out, he reached out to us just to say how much he dug our sound and if we wanted to play Call of Duty sometime haha. We formed a good friendship, and we eventually sent him some demos …and here we are! We are pleased to be able to work with the whole Manta crew, they’re solid professionals. We are lucky to have such a good group of people working with us on this release.
We hear there’s also a remix coming from Grammy Award winning producer Latroit?
Yes! Right from the start, we were super excited to hear that Latroit was going to remix ‘Sometimes’. He is someone that has achieved so much in the electronic music scene, so it’s a real honour to have him on this release with us. When we got to hear his remix for the first time we were pumped, it’s super up-beat, full of energy and so fun to listen to. He did a great job, and we couldn’t be happier with his contribution.
