Paul Feder is back with his follow up to 2021’s ‘Nightwalk’
The pop/electronica artist blends ambient tones, varies beats, emotive vocals
Brooklyn-based electronic artist and synth tinkerer Paul Feder is back after his 2021 ambient 80s pop-inspired EP “Nightwalk” with a new upcoming EP, “Never Sleep”. Playing as a follow-up to its predecessor, “Never Sleep” picks up right where “Nightwalk” left off. Feder’s unique combination of ambient tones, varied beats and emotive vocals are an indication he’s decided to stick with experimental electronica, and thank goodness he has.
Feder straddles the worlds of pop and experimental electronica, with the former very much on display in his earlier releases “Lose My Mind” and his remixes of vocalist Holly Abraham’s 2018 hit “Shore” and Jane In Space‘s “Mental Abrasions,” which were all decidedly more pop. With “Nightwalk” and the forthcoming “Never Sleep”, however, his experimental side is more forward as he explores the thoughts and feelings that plague us when the rest of the world sleeps.
With “Nightwalk” being described by one reviewer at Music-News.com as ‘a lofty record that flows between observer and observed in a slick piece of Euro-tinged electronica,’ “Never Sleep” has a more down-to-earth focus. It was written during and inspired by the pandemic so the thoughts and emotions contained therein have a universal appeal, with its title track a sonnet to those afflicted with insomnia due to anxiety during the lockdown.
A lifelong gearhead, Feder’s love for electronic music is firmly rooted in the 80s and 90s, which comes through strongly on “Never Sleep”. In fact, the initial tunes were written and recorded on his 90s-era Yamaha CS2X keyboard.
These vintage synths permeate the whole EP and soothe the listener into nostalgia while the ambient tones create a feeling of emotional safety as Feder’s vocals navigate these difficult topics. The end result is a relatable, catchy piece of experimental electro-pop.
In three songs, Feder channels bouts of insomnia (“Never Sleep”), explores the growing divide between present time and youth (“Home”), and takes the listener on a symbolic train ride to the end of the line and beyond (“Wonderful Day”). “Never Sleep” is dedicated to Paul’s father, Jack Feder, who passed away in December 2022. The EP was produced in Paul’s home studio in Brooklyn, and mastered by David Little Mastering.
“My upcoming EP Never Sleep contains three songs I wrote in 2021-2022. It was a hectic time both in the world and for me personally and these songs come out of that era. In early 2021 I unearthed my 90’s Yamaha CS2X keyboard from my parents’ attic and began to play, channeling pandemic anxiety into what would become the title track of the EP. Never Sleep is dedicated to my father, Jack Feder, who kept encouraging me to “finish the songs!” when I had trouble letting them go. He passed away in December 2022. I produced the EP in my home studio in Brooklyn, and it was mastered by David Little Mastering.”
Listen to “Never Sleep” on Spotify.
More Info:
Artist Name: Paul Feder
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Release Title: Never Sleep
Release Date: 6/23/23
Label: Aion Records
Musician Names/Instruments: Paul Feder (production, vocals)
Producer Name(s): Paul Feder
Similar/RIYL: Chvrches, The Postal Service, Electric Youth, Bon Iver
Genre(s): Synthpop, Indie Electronic, Electropop, Indietronica
Tracklist:
1. Never Sleep
2. Home
3. Wonderful Day
Press Quotes:
“Spiritual, yearning, deeply organic electronic music that envelops you as it spirals onwards and upwards through the pixels of your mind” – Noho Arts District
“Paul Feder Sparkles On ‘Lose My Mind’ Single” – Breaking & Entering
“Nightwalk is… a lofty record that flows between observer and observed in a slick piece of Euro-tinged electronica” – Music-News.com
“Feder’s dreamy vocals imbue the lyrics with lingering timbres, at once haunting and wistful.” – Tattoo.com
“Paul Feder Smashes Debut With ‘Lose My Mind’ Single” – Global Dance Electronic
Artist Biography:
Paul Feder is a Brooklyn-based producer and DJ. As an 80s kid, Paul would listen with rapt attention whenever his parents would play their cassette tape of Trans Europa Express by Kraftwerk. This early exposure to electronic music set the stage for Paul’s first mashups in high school, synth instrumentals in college, and MIDI interfaces in grad school. In his 20’s and 30’s, Paul started DJing and producing vocoder synthpop songs as Pico Fermi. In 2012 Paul co-founded Charcole Federation – a sitar-infused electronic band – that released their eponymous EP in 2015, and performed at the Rubin Museum and Holi Festival of Colors.
One day in 2019, Paul brought a laptop, a synth, and an old beaten-up harmonizer to Battalion Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The solitude of that day, coupled with trying out old gear in a new way led to a creative and technical “aha moment”. Paul found his voice and his debut solo EP Nightwalk was born – a set of five songs featuring sparse, open-ended lyrics and dense, visually evocative production, with contributions by members of the band Jane In Space.
As a followup to Nighwalk, Paul is releasing a new three-song EP, Never Sleep. In early 2021 Paul unearthed his late 90’s Yamaha CS2X keyboard and began to play, recording what would be the basis of the title track of the EP. Written against a backdrop of pandemic anxiety, Paul channels bouts of insomnia (“Never Sleep”), explores the growing divide between present time and youth (“Home”), and takes the listener on a symbolic train ride to the end of the line and beyond (“Wonderful Day”). Never Sleep is dedicated to Paul’s father, Jack Feder, who passed away in December 2022. The EP was produced in Paul’s home studio in Brooklyn, and mastered by David Little Mastering.
Paul is currently working on a set of new songs that grapple with the future of creativity at the dawn of the AI era.
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