Montreal duo Cafe Lanai bring their summery sounds to Shanghai
Cafe Lanai may hail from Montréal, but it seems their heads are permanently at the beach. The summer holiday vibes don’t stop at the referencing of a Hawaiian getaway in their name, it’s a theme that is at the core of their sound, too.
Combining the production and vocal talents of Forever (June Moon) and Mind Bath (Michael Brock), Cafe Lanai’s debut EP, Paradise, showcases a penchant for blissed out tunes built on beats that slide between glitchy electronica and gentle disco, all under a parasol of dove-tailing sun-drenched vocals. It’s the sort of thing you might find washing over the speakers at a beach shack café in, well, Lanai. ‘Our main objective with this group is to have SO much fun,’ says Moon. ‘It’s release from the stresses of everyday living.’
The group are further proof that there’s far more to Montréal electronic music than just Grimes, and it’s little surprise to find that stand out track ‘Here 4 U’ features production from Agor, one half of Blue Hawaii and a former flatmate of the pair. Agor was originally set to join Cafe Lanai for this tour, but has instead elected to remain at home and finish Blue Hawaii’s new record with the intention of returning to China later this year. His partner in Blue Hawaii – Raphaelle Standell-Preston – will be here before then however, bringing her electronic art rock outfit Braids back to these shores in early March.
As something of a warm-up for that show – a mini-festival of sorts, with ambient artist Shigeto also on the bill – Cafe Lanai’s live show, according to Brock, will be ‘up-tempo and full of love and sex appeal’. It ought to be a welcome burst of sonic sunshine to brighten up Shanghai’s February grey.
Cafe Lanai Yuyintang. Fri 10. 10pm. 60RMB.
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