Marius Lauber (aka Roosevelt) has had a busy year, impressing the world with his entralling brand of songwriting and mesmerizing musicianship. Last Friday marked the release of his sophomore album Young Romance via Greco-Roman / City Slang. In-between getting ready for a huge upcoming tour in Europe and North America, he recently shared the inspiration behind the album with us.
Synthesizer Demos:
I realised that every so often, I'm inspired by synthesizer demos on YouTube. Sometimes when I'm bored in the studio, I'm looking out for vintage synths, and often, some of the sounds really inspire me to start a track or to build a sound on the ones that I have. Often this can be a starting point, even if it's just a particular sound that I'm trying to recreate.
90s video game soundtracks:
I have a strong fascination for 90s game soundtracks, especially the ones developed for the soundchip of the Super Nintendo. The limitation that the composers had, while still trying to create something big and magical, is something I can totally relate to.
The voice of Arthur Russell:
There's something incredibly emotional in his voice that still gets me every time. He seems to capture a lot of emotions at the same time — there can be a lot of melancholy but also hope in his vocal style happening simultaneously. I just love to listen to him! He’s definitely an influence on how I got more confident with my voice.
70s Disco basslines:
I think I'm always searching for the perfect bassline in my tracks. It's something most of my tracks are based around, and also in the songwriting process, I often starts by grabbing the bass guitar. There are a lot of hidden gems to find from the 70s when disco basslines were huge. This one by Captain Sky is definitely a personal favourite.
Building my new studio:
I built my own studio last summer before starting the record, from a room that only had four white walls and nothing in it. There was something really magical about building my own place. My very own studio was something I had dreamt of of since I was a child, so it was super special to me. Being proud of achieving that and having built it all by myself was definitely what brought a lot of motivation and inspiration to the recording process there.
If you're based in Europe and North America, check out where you can catch Roosevelt on tour starting this month here.
(Photo by David J East)
