(antiMusic) If Aphex Twin had a love child with Gorillaz you would have Chloe Navarre, who just released the new single "Analemma", and to celebrate we asked mastermind Ry Mohon to tell us about the track. Here is the story:
The original guitar riff (looped endlessly throughout the song) came straight from my lizard brain when I first picked up the guitar. I played it over and over without any real sense of arrangement. The hypnotic three-note figure stuck with me, and even though I never planned to use it, it never really left my hands. A couple of years ago, I looped it in Cubase and built out the first draft. The bass line? Same three notes-just slowed down.
It first had a real beachy vibe. I pictured a night time setting with the moon over the ocean. Then came a strangely harmonized coyote howl and something about it shifted the song from an underwater surf-guitar dream into a psychedelic western. From there, the riff kept lifting off, eventually landing on a moon orbiting Jupiter, with the Analemma chant echoing in the stars.
At one point, things got a little too far out and the track apexed with Star Fox-inspired dialogue where a lead character named Winkbat and his team entered a dogfight with Analemma. That version didn't survive, but the "spacebit" influence still lingers in the final track. The last piece to fall into place was the flute, inspired by a coworker named Karma from my days working at a spa. With the flute and elements of dub, I'd like to formally coin the term "Spa Pop."
Analemma is a love letter to the sun. The lyrics are just a few sweet lines. I originally delivered them softly spoken and in my own voice, but after watching Nosferatu last winter, I decided to channel a vampire and pitched my vocals way down. It took a lot of passes to get right, and I ended up blending in some AI-generated layers. I love the added layer of meaning in the forbidden romance between a vampire and the sun.
As for the chant itself, I recorded it mispronouncing "Analemma" because it was easier to sing that way. It still kind of bothers me. I hate to point out what it sounds like... honestly, it's embarrassing.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]