With producer Mike Genato behind her, Irene Merring takes her first steps into the spotlight with "Sumthin' New" her debut EP.A New York native with roots in soul & R&B, Irene Merring's first official project crosses genres and tempo's to bring us a completely fresh & exclusive vibe. The promo EP features remixes by
Plus Move featuring Future Kid (my personal favorite), RVRSplay, Atlantic Connection and the original mix respectively. Its a dope promo, as previously mentioned the Plus Move remix is bangin', definitely a producer to watch out for.
Irene's main producer Mike Genato of Mathematics is overseeing her LP due out Spring of 2010 and from what I've heard so far; it's gonna be one of the hottest projects of next year.
I got a chance to sit down with Mike Genato to discuss this project, his projects and whatever else came up, read below...
1. Mike, most of us know you from Mathematics; talk a little bit about some of the other projects you've done and are doing?Yea, I've branched out a little bit over the years. I helped establish the Cool Weirdo sound of alternative R&B artist, Peter Hadar. So far we've worked on 2 albums and 2 EPs together (the 2nd of which will be dropped at the top of 2010). Along with that, I'm still producing with Mathematics, doing some collabos and production with indie-soul cat, DJ Dhundee, as well as LA-based artist Julz the Huntress. To fill up the time, I compose music for TV commercials (Nike, New Balance, Adidas - among others). But right now, my main projects are 02 Seconds... (From Being Committed), and Irene Merring, who is an incredible artist and songwriter. We just finished writing, producing, and recording her debut album and are gearing up for its release in 2010.
2. Tell us more about Irene Merring, how did you guys meet & how did you end up in the studio?
At the time, Irene was singin over DnB sets around NYC. She was put in contact with James, my partner in Mathematics, and he did tell me about her. Of course, I'm the fuckin' worst with remembering shit so when she hit me up, I didn't know who she was. In the end though, I think that worked out for the better. When I checked out her music, it was on the strength of her and not by recommendation from James or anything like that. I was impressed by her voice and songwriting and felt a collaboration between us could take both of our sounds to another level. That same night I did a show with Peter Hadar - opening up for J*DaVeY. I invited her out, she came thru, we instantly vibed, and I knew right there we'd make an unstoppable team. A few weeks later, we stepped into the studio and started on this journey, exploring different sounds and emotions. From the get, our chemistry was really tight that we ended up writing most of the album together, from scratch. Then I found out she was actually the singer James was tellin' me about. Kinda like it was in the stars, or some shit like that.
3. Her project seems very diverse in terms of genre, was this a consious decision or did you guys just vibe with different styles and like the outcomes?I think it was a bit of both. We knew we didn't want to make a record that would be pigeon-holed. And we also didn't want this project to primarily come from soul or R&B. We knew those vibes are always in us and will always come thru the music, so we decided to explore some our other influences - like Grunge, Industrial, Trip Hop, Drum&Bass and House. That said, we didn't go into every session with a specific style to hit. We just kept things open, vibed, and let it come out of us.
4. Whats Irenes musical background? Are you the first producer she's worked with this closely?
Irene has a very diverse set of influences, ranging from The Cure, The Black Crowes, to Lady Miss Kier, to Nirvana, to Mariah Carey and N'Dea Davenport, to Jenna G. As a singer and songwriter, she started early. She went to renowned schools LaGuardia HS of Performing Arts and Berklee College of Music, sang background for Mariah Carey, toured the East-Coast US as a front-woman to a Boston-based funk band, wrote with various R&B production teams including Crucial Keys, and as I mentioned earler, sang overtop Drum&Bass DJ sets. At the time I met Irene, she was predominantly seen as a soul/R&B artist, but feeling unfulfilled as such, she wanted to incorporate more of her other influences into her sound. That led to us using more of the Rock and Electronic music inspirations we both shared as foundations to her songs. As for me, I'm definitely not the first producer she's worked with, but I will say I am the producer that's taken her sound the furthest.
5. Where can we catch you guys next?At the moment, we'll be doing shows in support of the first single in the New York area. Go to irenemerring.com and sign up to our mailing list to stay informed.
6. When's her album coming out and where can we find it?
We're gonna drop the album in Spring 2010, leading up to it with singles and remixes. All the releases will hit iTunes and Amazon worldwide. But signup to our mailing list, we'll regularly be giving away free music and exclusive songs to fans who've subscribed. The first single, entitled Sumthin' New, will be in digital download stores in time for the holidays. It features remixes by Plus Move, RVRSplay, and your very own, Atlantic Connection.
7. Lastly, any shout-outs ?
Yea first shouts to my partners and friends - Peter Hadar/Cool Weirdos, James/Mathematics, Chris Sholar, Twilight Tone, Polymath7, Roy Dank/Wurst, DJ Dhundee & Stimulus from the Brooklyn Bounce crew, my LA heads - Atlantic Connection, Julz the Huntress, DJ Remington, Norman at Nu-Soul Mag, and Anne Montone; Terminal Sect, Plus Move, RVRSplay, 02 Seconds... , My MO, Tyler John Tyler, Boogie, Coop, Syndrome Studio, Alien Kung Fu, and of course - save the best for last - Irene Merring.
Be sure to check out:
IRENEMERRING.COM
signup to the mailing list, we're giving away FREE MUSIC!
BANDCAMP
FACEBOOK
MYSPACEIRENE MERRING SUMTHIN' NEW EP 1. SUMTHIN' NEW (ORIGINAL MIX)
2. SUMTHIN' NEW (PLUS MOVE REMIX FT. FUTURE KID)
3. SUMTHIN' NEW (RVRSplay 4 ON THE FLOOR MIX)
4. SUMTHIN' NEW (ATLANTIC CONNECTION '94 WAS MORE MIX)
DOWNLOAD HERE
Great big thanks for all the support at SoulGood this year, it's been incredible to watch this event evolve into a night of beautiful beats and soulful sexy vibes. I wanted to personally invite you to our last event of 2009 tonight to check our very special guests & sets. Starting off the evening will be our resident selecta DankOne [ 9pm - 10pm ] rolling you in with some groovy vibes ala Zero 7, Thievory Corporation, Ivy, Groove Armada & more... Following DankOne we will have our 1st special guest Dexterity [ 10-11:30 ] (who some of you may know under a different moniker) dropping in to some dope rare grooves, funk, soul, classic dance.. you know.. just get things nice and sweaty for our next guest... 
