Kolectiv’s debut LP Circadian Rhythms has just dropped on Dispatch. Like so many significant debut albums, it’s been in the works for a substantial amount of time.
“We’ve got quite a clear concept for what we want to do with it. We don’t want it to be just a standard collection of tunes. We want it to be heard as an album and for it to move in a certain way.”
This is what the London duo told me back in 2021 in an interview on UKF.com. Back then the album was developing under the working title Stream Of Consciousness and they’d already been working on it for over a year.
“It’s such a big body of work and a massive undertaking, though. Things get in way and things take longer than you think. And it covers such a long period of time that the direction of it will change so some tracks are no longer fitting that vision you have.”
This is what they told me 18 months later in 2022 on this site – subtly suggesting that the album was not going to be finished any time soon.
Back to the future…
Three years, multiple releases on the likes of Dispatch, Metalheadz, Rebel Music, Sofa Sound, Yamatai, Four Corners and Midas Touch, and one title change later – Circadian Rhythms is now out in universe.
“It’s our interpretation of the progression of a dnb rave,” they explain. “From when you first walk in, earlier in the night, until you leave, the intensity and pace of the music changes throughout. Going out to drum & bass nights, you’d hear so many different flavours across six or seven hours. We wanted the album to follow that same arc – like a circadian rhythm, a natural flow of time, but in this case the cycle of a rave.”
Still very much a stream of consciousness, but framed within an experience all ravers can understand, the album is a nocturnal narrative that weaves and bobs through myriad moods and intensities. Like any good rave, there are natural ebbs and flows as the pair explore different aspects of their sound from more brutalist peaktime moments such as the Virus-nodding tear-up Pressure (with Hijak MC) to the deeper, jazzier, contemplative moments such as Transparent. Or the light-footed, dreamy stepper Calibrate for that matter. Featuring PAV4N on the album, we’ve got a special instrumental to give away to you right now.
“It’s a funky track, bubbly and a nice blend of what we are about,” they explain. “It originally had a Miles Davis vocal sample in the track, and the one thing that remained was his influence. How he reinvented himself and was so prolific really inspired us.”
While we’re loving this version, the PAV-fronted version will be the main attraction and it’s one of many examples of how personal Circadian Rhythms is for Kolectiv. “Having known both Pavan and Ebow across two decades, it was a personal mission and wish to work with them both. Before Ebow sadly passed, we had met in the studio, listening to some new material. After the pandemic we got in touch with Pav and gave him the album so he could pick any track that resonated with him. Calibrate was born.”
Now it’s alive, out in the wild and yours in both full flavoured vocal and instrumental form. PAV4N’s vocals reflect the personal nature of the album and of music full stop. Kerim and Simon Kolectiv have spoken repeatedly in previous interviews about how deep they take their craft, how it’s a calling and lifestyle and certainly not any type of clout-chasing, money-focused hype fixation. No sample-pack rinsing, no bandwagon jumping or trend hopping, just a love letter to drum & bass penned in a way that only they could pen.
“The pandemic made us realise we are very offline when it comes to making music. Being in the studio in person, playing with real instruments and analog synths, jamming,” they explain.
“When we decided to make an album these things were at the forefront. 90% of the album is made using sounds we created & music we composed & played. Even the samples that we used mean something to us, whether that be a vocal sample or musical. The artwork was a photo I took from a plane journey. Literally everything is personal. Even the choice of collaborators, Hijak, Illmatika, Kerry and Pavan. All came through friendships.”
This is why Circadian Rhythms has been in the works for so long. You never get a second chance to write a debut album and it’s clear that Simon and Kerim – almost 15 years since their earliest outings – have relished in the opportunity to take their time, explore who they are as a musical act, understand what they want to say, who they want to say it with and learn how they can say it best.
“What’s the most important message we hope people will take from the album?” they ponder as we sign out. “To be yourself, love yourself, be patient with yourself, do things that make you happy and be prepared to work.”
Patience is everything. We look forward to waiting a long time for another impressive body of work from Kolectiv. Circadian Rhythms is currently exclusive to Beatport and streaming sites.
Full release is Friday October 17. All details.
