This August, Chris Gavin & Gabriel I made their collaborative debut on the Iconic UK imprint, Renaissance. Their track ‘Calypso’ features on the immaculately produced four-track VA; the Merin EP Vol.2 alongside A Friend Of Marcus, Alexandros Djkevingr & Greg Ignatovich and Talal. Following the release of the EP, we’re very pleased to be chatting with Chris and Gabriel today:
Hello Chris and Gabriel! Great to have you with us today. How are things with you both?
C.: Hi, things are going better following the news of the pandemic. Fingers crossed worst is behind us.
G: Things are great atm, hopefully it keeps improving.
Whereabouts are you both based at the moment? How have things been there for the music scene given the effects of the pandemic?
C.: I am living in Marseille, France. Everything has been going back to “normality” there since June so we have had a very busy summer as Marseille is a very touristic city, with a large community of electronic music lovers and djs.
G: I am based in Mexico City, and things have been like nothing has happened here since last year. I started playing again in April after they started vaccinating people. Great scene atm.
We’re pleased to be chatting with you around the release of your debut on the UK label, Renaissance Records. Your track ‘Calypso’ makes a brilliant addition to what is a great four-track VA EP. Can you tell us a bit about this track and how it found its home on Renaissance?
C.: I am very happy to be part of this fantastic EP on one of my favorite labels ever. The first lockdown was an opportunity to focus on the music only for many of us, and it allowed Gabriel and I to spend a lot of time talking and sharing music. Despite the distance between Marseille and Mexico City we found a way to collaborate in a fairly productive way and ‘Calypso’ is the result.
G: I grew up listening to Renaissance, and had the opportunity to play for them on their first Tulum festival edition, so it’s a big honor to be part of the family. And working with Chris has been great, everything just flows naturally.
Are we correct in thinking that this is your first collaboration together? What’s the story behind you guys first connecting and deciding to collaborate?
C.: We have known each other for a while now. I’ve been following Tenampa Recordings for years and I’ve already had the opportunity to invite Gabriel to mix at the parties I organize in France. We had the project to collaborate on production for some time without ever having concretized it. The pandemic will have been beneficial for us on this point.
G: I’ve known Chris for some time now, and also had the opportunity to play with him in Marseille, such a nice and easy going guy. I am planning to come to Marseille to live for a season and finish more music with him.
‘Calypso’ is a great meeting point between both of your styles. What is it like working together on music?
C.: I love working with Gabriel because we have the same approach to music I think. I like the way he takes the time to discuss every detail without leaving anything to chance. Can’t wait to collaborate in the same place at the same time.
G: As I said before, the workflow with Chris is so easy, and he is not only a very talented musician, but also very good in the technical side. On the other hand I am good with the arrangement and also with the engineering, so we really make a great team and we will continue to deliver quality music.
Do you think we will see more collaborations coming from you guys in the future?
C.: We already have several finished tracks looking for their home. I hope we’ll be able to show you soon.
G: Totally, stay tuned 😉
Given the pandemic, have either of you had a chance to play ‘Calypso’ out in the clubs yet?
C.: I’ve played it a couple of times with a different reaction each time. Quite positive to be honest.
G: Yeah, I’ve been playing this track almost every gig. Perfect for late nights and dark rooms.
Thank you both for speaking with us today! Congrats to you both on the release. To round things off, is there anything else coming soon from either of you that you’d like to share with us?
C.: More music is arriving soon, just keep an eye on us 🙂
G: We have an upcoming release in Tenampa. Cheers!
Buy / Stream Merin EP Vol.2 here: https://lnk.to/REN21016D
