Ron Trent is set to release his first album in 11 years, WARM: What Do the Stars Say to You? (WDTSSTY).
Harking back to the ’70s and ’80s, when there was a boom in adventurous, luxurious albums, WDTSSTY is a “love letter to the long-player,” we’re told. Across 10 tracks, Trent incorporates a broad range of live instruments and electronics into a “sophisticated, euphonic whole.”
In 1990, Trent was the teenage creator of “Altered States,” a raw, futuristic techno anthem, after which he spent time in Chicago, New York, and Detroit purveying his own breed of deep, soul-infused house and garage.
To those in the know, though, he’s also a producer in the broader sense, and on WDTSSTY he seeks to demonstrate that by collaborating with Brazilian royalty Ivan Conti and Alex Malheriros from Azymuth, violin maestro Jean-Luc Ponty, Gigi Masin, and Khruangbin. At various points, he plays drums, percussion, keys, synths, piano, guitar, and electronics.
“Each track was made with that guest in mind,” Trent says.
He describes as album as being “aural soul food,” that’ll gently “ease you into balmy nights, where everything is alright.”
Sonically, we’re told that it traverses jazz funk, quiet storm, sophisti-pop, new age, new wave, kosmische, Balearic, samba, afro-beat, Latin rock, and soft rock.
The album also comes in a 15-track continuous version, mixed by François Kevorkian.
Tracklisting
01. Cool Water feat. Ivan Conti (Azymuth) and Lars Bartkuhn
02. Cycle of Many
03. Admira feat. Gigi Masin
04. Flowers feat. Venecia
05. Melt Into You feat. Alex Malheiros (Azymuth)
06. Flos Potentia (Sugar, Cotton, Tabacco) feat. Khruangbin
07. Sphere feat. Jean-Luc Ponty
08. WARM
09. On My Way Home
10. What Do the Stars Say to You?
What Do the Stars Say to You? LP is scheduled for June 17 release on Night Time Stories. Meanwhile, you can stream “Flos Potentia” (Sugar, Cotton, Tabacco) feat. in full below and pre-order the record here.
