Aug 6, 2021

Vilda Ray & Martin Chapmans Release, "Much Less Much More"

Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman's take on Pop/Funk music is incredibly compelling. Their strategy is to combine delicate vocal deliveries with intense and front forward lyricism.

Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman have discipline with their sound, yet explores the depths of creativity. Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman's latest release, titled "Much Less Much More," fascinates listeners through eclectic, ambient tones and authentic, assertive lyricism.

"Much Less Much More" is produced by Marin Chapman, who crafts a psychedelic environment by elevating the best elements of lo-fi music and combining it with the Pop/Funk extravaganza that artist Vilda Ray delivers. There's a contemporary, almost urban feel to the song, and a mystified component gets added the moment Vilda Ray's vocals join in. "Much Less Much More" gives a glamorous ambiance through deep, almost sensual-like rhythms. With a predominant deep house sound, "Much Less Much More" gives off insanely infectious energy, and Vilda Ray only adds to the addiction. Her vocals are tasteful as she meshes together ranging tones and passionate deliveries. The product of this Vilda Ray and Martin Chapman collective is intriguing beyond compare. Both artists shine in contrasting, yet complementary ways, and we're left with an itch for more music from the duo.

"Much Less Much More" was an eccentric, entertaining music offering and we're waiting to see what Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman's creativity will bring next.

Welcome to BuzzMusic, Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman. "Much Less Much More" debuted. How was the collaboration and what were some of your favorite elements of working together? Vilda Ray: All I said to Martin was, “send me something I can dance to”, and he sent me this incredibly dark track with huge Prince-like drums, I was hooked. He gave me full lyrical control and let me do my thing. Martin doesn’t judge. He sees everything as an open expression. Music to him is water, it’s fluid. With this single, we really brought our tastes together to build one, there is no disconnect because there’s no force on either of our parts. Martin: I love Vilda’s singing voice and thought her style was a perfect fit for this track. She has a very smooth, light tone - almost like the vocal equivalent of Paul Desmond. A lot of her own productions are also very synth-heavy, so I wanted to make something synth-based that would fit her vocal style. I tried to keep the tones of everything pretty mellow as a result, like filtering out the highs and taking a lo-fi approach to the production, trying to make it sound like it’s “underwater.” I also tried to keep the chord movement in the mid-range fairly minimal and have the bass take more of the lead, to balance out Vilda’s active vocals on top. "Much Less Much More" had a very mysterious component to its underlying ambiance. What kind of emotive were you hoping to deliver to your listeners?

Vilda Ray: I wanted to take our listener back to that “four on the floor” ecstasy, to remember what it felt like to be surrounded by uninhibited moving bodies. For many of us, the pandemic took away the joy of experiencing movement and music together. I used this song as a way to jog the listener’s memory of that time. Martin: I think something special about lo-fi house and a lot of other electronic music is that it combines two moods you normally wouldn’t associate with each other - the rhythms are generally high-energy and danceable, but the tones and chords are very minimal, moody, and sometimes unnatural-sounding. I think we were able to fit ourselves in that strange world with this song, where it sounds at home both at a club with a DJ or alone in your bedroom at night. Outside of electronic music, I’ve only gotten that feeling from a select few artists (Can, Beak, Heliocentrics, etc.), where it’s dark and moody but also funky and psychedelic. As artists who enjoy more attentive lyricism, how do you believe the lyrical content in "Much Less Much More" attributed to this characteristic of your music? Vilda Ray: Lyrics are a way for me to show my true personality without shame. There’s a seriousness to my vocal approach, but the lyrics are all about fun lust. I used simple and short melodies here and there and a bit of flirty rap in the bridge to add some light to the dark undertone of the music. The combo of humor and lust, I find, makes music more relatable. Lines like “Trust me I ain’t tryna talk all night, tryna get you all alone if I’m being honest,” is a thought most of us have had in the club at one point or another! Martin: Vilda’s lyrics gave a playfulness to the song that really brought it down to earth. I think it goes hand in hand with the two sides of the music I talked about before, where she brings the fun side of the music into the picture to contrast with the more ambient parts of the song. Where is the sound of Vilda Ray & Martin Chapman heading next? Vilda Ray: Martin & I have lots more coming. Besides lending a hand to each other's solo projects, there are so many sounds and experiences we are going to create together. Both of us are always saying “I wanna try this!” or, “it would be cool if we did this genre next!” I am grateful to him for opening up my musical mind, he is a real music melting pot that is willing to give anything a try! We got more house music on the way, but I really wanna bring the funk next too. We are funky as hell together. I can’t even lie. Martin: We’re looking forward to trying lots of different ideas together. We might experiment with combining live instrumentation with electronic production. There’s definitely more dance stuff coming, but we’d also be interested in doing some music more in hip-hop, neo-soul, R&B style.