Leaving his mark with one release at a time, Lake Turner is looking inward for his next release. Despite having traded life on an isolated farm in Worcestershire for the hustle and bustle of London ten years ago, the calmness of the countryside continues to inspire Lake Turner's music. His new EP, Arcade 55, sees the producer layer driving beats with soothing ambient synths which cast the mind to a place of stillness. It also includes field recordings captured by Lake Turner on camping trips and hikes, sounds which, like the panning sound during Full Bloom reminiscent of orbiting planets, instantly bring the listener's focus to earth and the natural environment.
This inclusion of nature within his music is due to his active interest in the outdoors and his upbringing. “I see both sides of the coin of countryside and city life and enjoy both extremes and think perhaps it has given me more of an individual outlook on life. Growing up in an isolated and beautiful part of the world was pretty inspiring and has made me consider leaving the city and going back to that simple way of being in the future,” says the producer. He adds, “This EP has quite a few hidden field recordings of forests which are peaceful places.” He is passionate about spreading environmental awareness, alongside an interest in sustainable regenerative agriculture and ancient history.
Never shying away from questioning things outside the usual field of vision, Lake Turner weaves a continuing theme of technology dystopia throughout his music, questioning its effect on mankind for good or bad. It was especially prevalent on his album Videosphere, which acts as the foundation for this continued exploration of the ethics of technology in our increasingly modern world.
Similarly, at the core of this latest EP, Arcade 55, is the question of the ‘self’ and existentialism. “The title Arcade 55 refers to an imaginary games arcade that appeared in a dream I had. A maze of different rooms where with each door that opens even more of a vivid, kaleidoscopic world unfolds; a place where 'flowers fell from the sky'.” Created in an almost circular fashion, Lake Turner began and finished recording Arcade 55 in his studio in Hoxton, London. The album was recorded using his usual set-up of Minipops drum machine and Roland synths, except this time the producer also included an acoustic piano. The result is an EP which evokes an otherworldly feel and transports the listener to enchanting places of beauty with ease.
The journey to creating the title track Arcade 55 has been vividly varied. What Lake Turner remembered throughout, however, is the feeling that he had when he first made the track - his aim was to not get lost in the detail but recall the bigger picture. Previously, we would look to romantic poets to capture the intense beauty of mountains and lakes in nature - now, Lake Turner is putting his spin on this artistic tradition with soft background instrumentals and glittering synth. As the track softly fades out, you’ll also be left feeling lighter - perhaps even with a spring in your step after this assuredly rejuvenating experience. Immediately inviting you to the dancefloor with a futuristic electronic beat, it’s impossible not to nod your head along to the musical wizardry carefully crafted by the producer.
Anything but predictable his other forthcoming track, Marlpool, consistently changes tempo with ease without ever sounding disjointed. Inspiring us to accompany him on a journey through this multilayered masterpiece, the glimmers of softer synth mixed with the heightened instrumental sections, only further demonstrate his production prowess.
Ultimately, the producer has a growing talent for putting familiar sounds within an unfamiliar setting with truly evocative effects. Using time-stretching within his music is another key element in his creative process - after processing a loop or unused idea, Lake Turner then stretches it into a drone and then jams over the top to see where it leads. “There's more of a creative freedom on this EP – I feel like I've been bolder and taken more risks with this one. For example the title track - it's not normally a tempo or sound palette I would ever normally work with.” The self-examination on this album has undoubtedly pushed a fresh sense of freedom. Lake Turner says, “For me, it has been the most testing year of my life so it's more emotional than my previous output in that respect but I feel too close to it to know for sure.” The nature that surrounds us is constantly evolving and this notion is reflected at the centre of Arcade 55.