LeRoy Finds Inspiration In The Turmoil, Terror, and Joy of 2016 in 'Bambadea'

Munich-based producer LeRoy felt the weight of 2016 when he was writing  Bambadea—the follow-up to his well-received album Skläsh that was released this week. The Bataclan attack, the refugee crisis, the rising populism sweeping across Europe and the U.S., the troubles of 2016 (and 2017 so far) gave Bambadea a downbeat, more introspective tone.

But Bambadea is also breezy and warm. In a way, the album is kind of bipolar. It's summery beach music for bedroom thinkers, a reaction to a rough year that comes across equal parts chill, concerned, and contemplative.

VICE Indonesia's Tim Laksmana spoke with LeRoy about the state of the European electronic music scene and how musicians are finding ways to cope with increasingly tumultuous times with their craft.

Scroll below to download "The Village," an exclusive track off Bambadea offered by VICE Indonesia.

VICE Indonesia: Can you tell me a bit about your new album Bambadea? How is it different from your first album Skläsh?
LeRoy: Well, it's my second full-length on the same label, Schamoni.  Bambadea was a more focused process. I put all the tracks together in three-to-four months, while on Skläsh it was more of a collection of different recordings I had gathered during the last three, or four, years. It was some four-track stuff, kind of lost treasures on my hard disk. It's more of half-baked chicken style. [Laughs]  Bambadea is a little more polished, yet from the same mold as Skläsh. It goes more in a downbeat territory and the feeling is more introverted.

You said that Bambadea is an album born out of personal elation and European Weltschmerz [feeling world-weary]. Can you explain this?
There were many confusing things happening here in Germany. The whole political thing turned out very strange. I felt like I went back in time.I am a slow person, and I'm reflecting on these things in my music.

So it's related to all of the bad news coming out of Germany and Europe in the past year?  How did all of this affect your music?
Yes, it was a line of tragedy all throughout the world. How people reacted to the so-called refugee crisis—it was very disappointing how many people reacted with hatred and fear. Even young people you never thought would! Then there was Brexit, the Trump election, and so on…

Yeah, it was so disappointing. Do you think all this tragedy has affected the music scene in Europe? 
Yes, of course. I think musicians who reflect the world around them can't ignore this.

I read someone describe your music as 'psychedelic-balearic' but in a contemporary way. Are you down with this description?
If it's fancy then yes, why not? [Laughs]

I love the second track, 'Happened From The Void.' Is there a story behind the song?
As the lyrics go, 'the state of mind isn't for anybody out there.' It's a bit like feeling 'outside' of society.

Your music is sort of a measured, craft mixture of analog and electronic sounds. How do you embrace technology in your music?
Actually, my iPad just broke down after the last update of my music. [Laughs] So far, about technology, I'm a fan of good ideas. I try to keep it simple, restrict things, less is more, and that always brings me to good results. I play all of the instruments, mix it up with interesting samples, and try to create some special atmosphere.

What are you listening to? What inspires you?
That's a difficult question. During the making of Bambadea, I was listening to a lot of old surf music: Santo and Johnny, The Smiths, Wim Mertens, Neil Young, and Can…

That's quite a broad list of influences! 
Yeah, the outsider effect is interesting there.

So what more can we expect from LeRoy in 2017?
The next thing on my list is doing some LeRoy live gigs with the band. Then, I'm going to produce the second record of a folk, dubby side project of mine called DAS HOBOS. Then also maybe some surf, some dub edits.

Sounds really interesting. I want to see how that all turns out. 

_Listen to "The Village," by LeRoy and download it below in this exclusive track off  _Bambadea_ offered by VICE Indonesia. _