Cooper Saver, known for heating up the late-night dance scene with his Far Away parties, had a little chat with Jaques Renault before he heads out to the West Coast to take part in our A Night With series on The Standard, Downtown LA Rooftop.
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COOPER SAVER: Jacques, my man, how are you? How will you be spending this holiday season?
JACQUES RENAULT: I'm good, Cooper! Working on finishing some new bits before the holidays. I'll be in D.C. spending time with the family and then back in NYC for NYE and NYD.
It's been another busy year for Let's Play House. Tell me a bit about the records you guys have released this year. What's scheduled to come out next?
Nik and I have been staying busy with the label for sure. We released things from Raffaello & Palermo, Keita Sano, Baldo, a debut from Klubbhuset, and two remix EPs from my Zentrum LP. Upcoming, we have new singles from Sleazy McQueen, Autofac (a new collaboration from Juan Maclean & Shit Robot), Huerta, Project Pablo, and Earth Boys, to name a few!
You and Nik also have a couple different side labels going at the moment, too. What's up with those, and are there any new records from them to look forward to in 2017?
Yeah, we also have Room Service and also Schatzi, which has been focused on my edit output. Looks like both of those will continue to be active next year as well.
One thing I've always admired about LPH is how you guys keep it to good friends and family. Tell me a bit about the importance of keeping the label experience very personal.
Thanks, man. I can't imagine it any other way. We've had very personal relationships with DJs and producers over the years through our parties and travels much like you I'm sure. It feels natural to chat about what music people are creating, and sometimes that leads to working on a 12" together.
It's been a little over a year since your LP, Zentrum, came out, which was your first full album. After completion, did you find you needed a quick production break or was it easy to get in the zone again?
Oh, I definitely took a little bit of a break! I had worked for a few years on a lot of different music up to that point and then wanted to regroup. Getting back into it after a few months felt great, and I almost had a completely different approach to what I wanted to do next.
What's the latest with your own releases currently? You've been keeping the remixes flowing steadily throughout 2016. Do you have any favorites you're most proud of?
I've got a release on Razor N Tape lined up for next year as well as a few things that may be too soon to share. I was stoked to remix Midnight Magic again this year, as well as share remix duties on a 12" with you for Karl Kling. Most recently, I remixed the legend Cerrone, which was pretty exciting. That should be out for everyone's ears real soon.
The travels never seem to slow down for you. When you're not in the club and you're in transit from city to city, do you still listen to music, or is that quiet time? If you're listening to music, do you have any go-to mixes for traveling?
It's usually quiet time, but most recently I've been listening to more and more podcasts. Those can be good to zone out and take a break.
Top 5 favorite recent discoveries to play out these days?
Here are a few new and older things that I've brought out from the stacks:
JACQUES RENAULT: I'm good, Cooper! Working on finishing some new bits before the holidays. I'll be in D.C. spending time with the family and then back in NYC for NYE and NYD.
It's been another busy year for Let's Play House. Tell me a bit about the records you guys have released this year. What's scheduled to come out next?
Nik and I have been staying busy with the label for sure. We released things from Raffaello & Palermo, Keita Sano, Baldo, a debut from Klubbhuset, and two remix EPs from my Zentrum LP. Upcoming, we have new singles from Sleazy McQueen, Autofac (a new collaboration from Juan Maclean & Shit Robot), Huerta, Project Pablo, and Earth Boys, to name a few!
You and Nik also have a couple different side labels going at the moment, too. What's up with those, and are there any new records from them to look forward to in 2017?
Yeah, we also have Room Service and also Schatzi, which has been focused on my edit output. Looks like both of those will continue to be active next year as well.
One thing I've always admired about LPH is how you guys keep it to good friends and family. Tell me a bit about the importance of keeping the label experience very personal.
Thanks, man. I can't imagine it any other way. We've had very personal relationships with DJs and producers over the years through our parties and travels much like you I'm sure. It feels natural to chat about what music people are creating, and sometimes that leads to working on a 12" together.
It's been a little over a year since your LP, Zentrum, came out, which was your first full album. After completion, did you find you needed a quick production break or was it easy to get in the zone again?
Oh, I definitely took a little bit of a break! I had worked for a few years on a lot of different music up to that point and then wanted to regroup. Getting back into it after a few months felt great, and I almost had a completely different approach to what I wanted to do next.
What's the latest with your own releases currently? You've been keeping the remixes flowing steadily throughout 2016. Do you have any favorites you're most proud of?
I've got a release on Razor N Tape lined up for next year as well as a few things that may be too soon to share. I was stoked to remix Midnight Magic again this year, as well as share remix duties on a 12" with you for Karl Kling. Most recently, I remixed the legend Cerrone, which was pretty exciting. That should be out for everyone's ears real soon.
The travels never seem to slow down for you. When you're not in the club and you're in transit from city to city, do you still listen to music, or is that quiet time? If you're listening to music, do you have any go-to mixes for traveling?
It's usually quiet time, but most recently I've been listening to more and more podcasts. Those can be good to zone out and take a break.
Top 5 favorite recent discoveries to play out these days?
Here are a few new and older things that I've brought out from the stacks:
DJ Boring WinonaBig fan of this guy's music. I expect some big things from him in 2017.
Sound Stream Starstrike
So much heat in this. I played with Tiger & Woods recently and they reminded me how hot this is.
Boyd Jarvis' "The Music Got Me (Bawrut's Bawracid Mix)"
Nice acid rerub of a classic kicking off the Ransom Note's label.
DJ Slyngshot's "Tryna Get My Act Together"
This kind of grabbed me recently, too. It hits in all the right places.
Earth Trax X Newborn Jr.'s "Flute Track"
Rhythm Section wins again with this release. Feel good vibes.
Now that the year is nearly over, are you able to reflect on any musical highlights of 2016? Standout gigs? Favorite sets you saw? Anything!
It's unreal how quick the year came and went. Hmm, I had a few standout gigs with Borrowed Identity and friends in Barcelona, Paris, and Oslo just recently. I love to travel and always like when I get to spend a few days in a different city with new or old friends. And as always, there were some special moments here in NYC at Good Room, Bossa, Black Flamingo, Output, and the new Schimanski, too. Sometimes the best part of traveling is coming home and being on your own turf.
Looking forward to having you back in LA so soon! Where else will you be playing in the near future?
Me, too! I'll be playing in San Francisco the night before with Eug from Public Release for their FACE holiday party, so I'll be in a festive mood for sure! After that I'll be playing with Derrick Carter and Museum of Love in NYC before heading to Japan in January for a few dates. Looks like I'll be starting 2017 off right.
Enjoy an exclusive mix Jacques made in preparation for Dec. 10th on The Standard, Downtown LA Rooftop
