“Between These Lines” is a dreamy and breezy affair, peeling back yet another layer of an artist who continually invites us deeper into a fantasy fueled by rousing melodies and pop sensibilities. Quiñ slips in sheer bliss with her vocal delivery, while a woozy beat and radiant synth work takes care of the rest. It’s a cathartic listen that lends itself to an even more revelatory moment on the dancefloor.
Be put in awe by the premiere after the break, and get some insider info on the release itself from the man who knows it like no else could.
Did you approach the writing of the Casa Mirage EP any differently from your previous work?
This project was a lot further outside of my comfort zone, in the best of ways. It gave me a chance to work with a bunch of cool artists I’m lucky to call my friends, and to incorporate their amazing voices and inspirations into this mirage world I’m building.
Is there an underlying message or mantra embedded in your music?
I would say it’s more just an energy I’m hoping to transmute—or like I said, a world I’m trying to create. I want you to be immersed in it, like a drug. I just want to bring all the happiness I can to this weird world.
What do you personally find special about “Between These Lines,” compared to the other productions featured on the package?
I started the beat while I was with my girlfriend in the Costa Rican rainforest, but I was still so rooted in my mirage mindset that the two worlds blended, and I just knew from the second the song revealed itself to me that it was something special. Then, collaborating on the lyrics with Devon Baldwin added another element to the experience, because we were very much on the same wavelength with it.
Did you make the tune from a particular emotional or mental place?
It comes from our desire to want to capture that moment we all experience right before we shed irrelevant inhibitions and do what we truly want to, as people. It’s about risk, being present, sex, love, music, fun; it’s about a lot things, but mostly I just hope it makes people feel good.
As a vocalist, do you tend to get more involved with the songwriting when working with other singers? Did you let Quiñ have free rein, or was there a shared vision the entire way through?
I originally wrote it with Devon Baldwin, who’s very cool and talented in her own right, and we left it somewhat open-ended. Then, I ended up hanging in the studio with Quiñ and experimenting with her interpretation of it, and it just felt really dope to us all. So, here we are.
The EP itself is collab-heavy, with features on every offering. How did you go about vetting vocalists/songwriters for this project?
I do sing on one of the songs, a laid-back jam called “Lost With You.” Besides that, it was just people in my sphere whom I had been wanting to work with, and on this project the vibes were just clicking all over the place.
How do you like working with the Spinnin’ team?
Spinnin’ has been really cool and supportive about letting me continue to do me and find my way musically. My music has always lived outside a lot of the common genre boundary lines, I think, but I love the love I’ve been getting from the worldwide house/dance community, and I can’t wait to start bringing the music abroad. I appreciate them helping me do that.
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