Next Hype: Lemaitre

If there's one thing I know about men, it's that there's no man a jean jacket can't make better. Lemaitre are two cool cats from Norway who copped their name from the Belgian priest who came up with the Big Bang theory. They also rock their jean jackets with the swagger of pre-douchebag Justice. When they're not cavorting around in helicopters, Ketil and Ulrik cook up starry-eyed disco songs about love, the universe, and atomic physics. This one's called "Continuum," and fellow Norwegian Josef Bamba remixes it into the kind of cheerful thumper you'd hear anywhere from a hip Japanese sneaker store to an afternoon party in Ibiza. Lemaitre are set to release their next EP, Relativity by Nite, at the end of the month, so we got them to write us a haiku about their hometown, and then some.

THUMP: Where are you guys from?
Lemaitre: The cold north that is Oslo, Norway.

How old are you?
22 years old.

How would you describe your hometown in a haiku?
Not sure how to haiku, but here goes:

Sun is finally shining.
Bask In its warmth.
Nevermind, it's raining.

What was the first track you ever made? What did it sound like? What were you inspired by?
"Momentum." Its still up on our Soundcloud. It samples Jimi Hendrix and has a Strokes-style vocal mixed in with electronic samples and synths.

How did you come up with your name?
Ketil read a popular science book called The Big Bang. Monsieur George Lemaitre was the one who first proposed the Big Bang theory. We did not know that the name meant "the teacher" in French. We just thought it looked and sounded nice. And little did we consider how hard it is to pronounce for non-French speakers. Like for Norwegians. Phonetic:  [ləmɛtʁ]

Why do you have an origami frog on your Tumblr background?
Oh shit. We didn't know it looked like a frog. It's what has become our logo after we used it on the cover of our second EP. It's actually a picture of our light installation that we use for live shows.

You guys seem to have very friendly vibes. Is that true in real life?
We try to be nice people and make happy music. So we're glad you think so, but we don't know how true it is.

What's the nicest thing you've ever done for a lover?
We don't have too much time for girls. When we are not touring we sit in the studio 12 hours a day. So sadly I don't know the answer to this question.

If you could spin a private, one-on-one set for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Ryan Gosling.

What's the best place, real or imaginary, to hear your music?
On a secluded tropical beach, with your friends and lots of mojitos. Though it's not required to enjoy the music.

What club or venue are you dying to play at?
We love playing festivals. And Coachella looks like one of the coolest to play.

Name three non-musical inspirations.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou by Wes Anderson. Hayao Miyazaki movies, especially Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, Ponyo and Princess Mononoke. TV shows—we've basically seen all the TV there is to see.

Who is one up-and-coming artist we should look out for and why?
Cashmere Cat, also from Norway, is doing great stuff! Really chilled and downtempo while also great dance/club music. Though pretty different from our music, it's something we try to do with our music as well.

What's next for you?
We got a song with Camo & Krooked coming out September 30, the same day that the Relativity By Nite EP comes out—which features our own mixes of songs from the Relativity trilogy.We are going to tour Europe, including doing Fabric in London November 20th, before we head down to Australia to do the Stereosonic festival in all the major cities there. Early next year we are releasing new original material and relocating to LA. Looking forward to what the future brings!

Lemaitre's Relativity by Nite EP is out September 30 via Substellar Records.