As one-half of Sendai ERA, producer Sendai Mike has provided a glittering and buoyant musical counterpoint to his partner ERA’s deeply personal screeds on identity and doubt. Between work for his group and producing tracks for artists including but not limited to Nick Weaver and Taylar Lizza Beth (for the latter, crafting the beat for “Storm,” an absolute jam), Mike’s production hosts a colorful world of sound; a florid, booming combination of hip-hop rhythms, ambient float, and pop melody.
On the solemn-but-optimistic “Lordy Lordy,” Mike steps from behind the boards for the first time, singing passionately about a now-or-never moment, holding a 40oz with a little orange juice poured in. The pianos and synths crest above the thundering bass and the club-friendly beat, switching rhythms and cycling back while Mike sings through a wall of vocal effects about “people changing like the weather.” As the sun peeks from behind the clouds and thaws out the sub-thirty-degree days, the brightness of “Lordy Lordy” serves as a very suitable soundtrack for the oncoming bloom of spring.
Sendai Mike offers a few words on the making of the track:
“This is my first solo release in over two years and my first release with my own vocals. The last couple years, I've been very focused on producing my group Sendai Era and also began recording and mixing vocalists professionally. I quit my job in July to open my own studio where I record, produce, and mix vocalists. This song was one of the first tracks I started working on after leaving my job. I worked on it over many months in between sessions with clients and it took on many different forms and styles over the course of the production.
“The beat started as a simple piano loop but slowly morphed into a weird blend of styles. I specialize in vocal production and the vocal processing was heavily inspired by 22, A Million by Bon Iver and over-projecting through Autotune, similarly to artists like Young Thug and Travis Scott.”
Listen to “Lordy Lordy” below. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter and listen to some of his production on Soundcloud.
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Throwaway Style is a weekly column dedicated to examining all aspects of the Northwest music scene. Whether it’s a new artist making waves, headlines affecting local talent, or reflecting on some of the music that’s been a foundation in our region; this space celebrates everything happening in the …
