Lemaitre (pronounced French: [ləmɛtʁ] ) is a Norwegian indie electronic duo hailing from Oslo. The duo consists of members Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund.[1][2] Jansen and Lund came together to form Lemaitre on 20 June 2010.[3] Lemaitre is currently based in Los Angeles, California.[4]

Lemaitre
Lemaitre's band members Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund performing on tour
Lemaitre's band members Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund performing on tour
Background information
OriginOslo, Norway
Genres
Years active2010 (2010)–present
LabelsAstralwerks
Members
  • Ketil Jansen
  • Ulrik Denizou Lund
WebsiteLemaitreMusic.com

Since the duo's inception in summer 2010,[3] Lemaitre has released a number of EPs, including the Relativity Series: Relativity 1, 2, 3 and Relativity by Nite; The Friendly Sound; and Singularity.[5]

The duo released their seventh EP, 1749, on 29 January 2016[6] and released a compilation album, Chapter One, on 2 June 2017.[7]

In early 2021 Lemaitre released the single Trip Sitter together with Sofiloud. This was then followed by the releases of the single Sparrow with Emelie Hollow in June, the single OK Computer with RebMoe in August, and Reflection in early September. The final single, What About U, featuring Anna of the North was released on 22 October, alongside an announcement[8] for their debut album Substellar, released 19 November 2021.[9]

History edit

2010–2014: Formation and early years edit

 
Lemaitre's logo, used in almost every EP made by them as a means of visual identification

During an interview, Lund and Jansen explained that the band is named after Georges Lemaître, a Belgian priest who first proposed the Big Bang Theory and derived the physics concept now referred to as Hubble's Law.[10] In a 2014 music discovery piece with Interview magazine,[11] Jansen further added "Le maitre" means "the master" in French, though the pair were unaware of this when first choosing a name for the project.

Lemaitre's first track was titled "Momentum",[12] now dating 14 years since its initial release. This track was one of two tracks released prior to releasing their debut EP, The Friendly Sound—the other being "Primeval Atom".[13]

Relativity series edit

Lemaitre is most commonly recognized for their series of EPs: the Relativity Series.[14] This series consists of the following EPs: Relativity 1, Relativity 2, Relativity 3, and Relativity By Nite. The duo was praised for their use of all original samples.[15]

Relativity By Nite was differed from most of Lemaitre's previous EPs in that it was longer in comparison to previous EP releases and almost entirely consisted of unheard remixes and instrumental pieces.[16]

Lemaitre's third EP and second in the Relativity Series, Relativity 2, topped the Canadian charts and US iTunes electronic albums category during May of 2012. The EP went to top charts across a number of countries, placing #3 in Switzerland, #8 in Australia and #10 in France. Worldwide, Relativity 2 charted at #4 in iTunes' Pop category.[17]

Joining Astralwerks edit

In January 2014, the duo signed to Astralwerks Records: home to notable acts, including Daft Punk, whom Lemaitre has previously referenced as a significant source of inspiration for the group's music style.[18] Consequently, Lemaitre had the opportunity to work on remixes for other Astralwerks artists, such as Porter Robinson. Jansen and Lund are credited and featured on the song "Polygon Dust" from Porter Robinson's album, Worlds.[19][20]

Furthermore, Lemaitre mentioned that the 'choice [to join Astralwerks] felt right', especially given that the label was home to some their own "sonic heroes", namely Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers.[21]

2014–present: 1749, Chapter One, Fast Lovers and Substellar edit

On 29 January 2016, the duo released their seventh EP, 1749.[6] The name "1749" was inspired by the home[22] Lemaitre has been living in during their time in Los Angeles—which also serves as a low budget–home studio for the pair. The home was previously owned by famed American rapper and producer Dr. Dre during the 1990s.[23]

Following the release of 1749, Lemaitre embarked on a short 7-city European tour during February, including a stop in their homeland in Oslo, Norway. During this time, the music video for the song "Stepping Stone" featuring artist Mark Johns, a member of Skrillex's Owsla creative collective, was released on 18 February 2016.[24]

Jansen and Lund have appeared in festivals such as Coachella in April[25][26] and Findings Festival at Norway in the late summer.

On 2 June 2017, the duo released their first album, Chapter One.

Their eighth EP, titled Fast Lovers, was released on 1 March 2019.

In 2020 they released four singles.

In 2021 they released a series of singles culminating in their debut album Substellar, released 19 November 2021.[9]

Appearances in media edit

Several of Lemaitre's songs were featured mainstream media adverts. The song "1:18" from Lemaitre's debut EP, The Friendly Sound appeared in Apple's product advert "Designed Together",[27][28] which showcased the then newly released iPhone 5c's fluent integration with the iOS 7 mobile operating system. Additionally, on 4 February 2016, Lemaitre's song "Blue Shift" received worldwide attention on Facebook for Facebook's 12th Anniversary, which came to be known as "Friends' Day", a feature that compiled of photos and memories commemorating friendship into user-specific videos.[29][30]

In March 2016,[31] it was announced that Lemaitre, along with other musical acts AlunaGeorge and Broiler, were collaborating with video game Minecraft to "perform a show in the game setting", as a part of Norwegian game conference The Gathering. The event provided users with the unique experience of a concert "simultaneously recreated within the Minecraft world [...] Just like a real concert[.]" This event was considered as the world's "first live Minecraft concert,".[32]

On 4 October 2016, their song "Closer" was played in a video for the newly launched Google Pixel phone.[33]

On 8 & 9 April 2017, their song "Closer" was also being used by Patrouille de France the French aerobatic jet team (similar to the Thunderbirds) during their high speed, supersonic performance[34] at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery Alabama.

The song "Closer" also appeared in the first episode of the first season of the Norwegian teen drama Skam.[35]

In 2017, their song "Stepping Stone" was featured in the soundtrack for the PlayStation 4 racing game Gran Turismo Sport.

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

Chapter One [1] edit

No.TitleLength
1."Cut To Black"3:22
2."Closer (feat. Jennie A.)"4:30
3."Continuum"4:48
4."Higher (feat. Maty Noyes)"3:51
5."Blue Shift"4:00
6."Stepping Stone (feat. Mark Johns)"4:16
7."Time To Realize"3:30
8."We Got U (feat. The Knocks)"3:29
9."Last Night on Earth"4:10
10."Playing To Lose (feat. Stanaj)"3:24
11."Strobes Pt.2"3:50
12."High Tide"3:26
13."The End"6:01
14."Playing To Lose (feat. Stanaj) [Coucheron Remix]"3:01

Substellar [2] edit

No.TitleLength
1."Trip Sitter"3:23
2."Sparrow"3:30
3."Bedsti Bounce"3:00
4."Reflection"3:35
5."What About U"3:29
6."Chameleon"3:58
7."Hit or Miss"2:46
8."Tree House"3:14
9."Ok Computer"3:10
10."On My Way"3:17
11."Flight Response"2:40
12."In Treatment"2:57

Extended plays (EPs) edit

The Friendly Sound [3] edit

No.TitleLength
1."The Friendly Sound"4:04
2."Nishio"3:34
3."Blue Shift"4:01
4."Strobes Pt. 2"3:50
5."1:18"3:49

Relativity 1 [4] edit

No.TitleLength
1."Appreciate"3:23
2."Coffee Table"3:20
3."Sceptics"4:12
4."The End"6:02

Relativity 2 [5] edit

No.TitleLength
1."Keep Close"4:14
2."Time to Realize"3:30
3."Splitting Colors"3:58
4."Steady State"3:09
5."Appreciate (Uppermost Remix)"4:46

Relativity 3 edit

No.TitleLength
1."Continuum"4:47
2."Iron Pyrite"3:39
3."Fiction"3:53
4."Cut to Black"3:21

Relativity By Nite edit

No.TitleLength
1."Sceptics (Club Mix)"4:30
2."Fiction (Club Mix)"4:29
3."Splitting Colors (Club Mix)"5:48
4."Cut to Black (Instrumental)"3:21
5."Continuum (Fehrplay Remix)"6:54
6."Continuum (Ghost of Venice Remix)"5:31
7."Continuum (Josef Bamba Remix)"6:15
8."Splitting Colors (Louis La Roche Remix)"4:32
9."Fiction (Mullaha Remix)"3:22

Singularity edit

No.TitleLength
1."High Tide"3:27
2."Wait (feat. LOLO)"4:03
3."Go"3:04
4."All I Need (feat. Chuck Inglish)"3:42

Singularity (Remixed) edit

No.TitleLength
1."High Tide (Oliver Nelson & Tobtok Remix)"4:05
2."All I Need (Prince Fox Remix) [feat. Chuck Inglish]"2:54
3."All I Need (Nebbra Remix)"3:32
4."Wait (Danrell Remix) [feat. LOLO]"3:34
5."Wait (Lindsay Lowend Remix) [feat. LOLO]"2:42
6."Wait (Elephante Remix) [feat. LOLO]"4:11

1749 [6] edit

No.TitleLength
1."Not Too Late"3:16
2."Stepping Stone (feat. Mark Johns)"4:16
3."Closer (feat. Jennie A)"4:31
4."Day Two"3:59
5."Nishio 2"4:01

Afterglow edit

No.TitleLength
1."Playing To Lose (feat. Stanaj)"3:24
2."We Got U (feat. The Knocks)"3:30
3."Haze (feat. Phoebe Ryan)"3:55
4."Last Night on Earth"4:12

Fast Lovers edit

No.TitleLength
1."Fast Lovers"2:55
2."Smoke"3:41
3."Rocket Girl (ft. Betty Who)"3:59
4."Better Now"3:10
5."Big"4:26
6."Little Things"4:18

JGM edit

No.TitleLength
1."Wondering If I'll Ever Come Down"3:20
2."Eyes Wide Open"3:25
3."Joe"3:17
4."Stop Me Fast"2:46

Non-album singles edit

Title Duration Artist(s) Ref
"Momentum" 2:21 Lemaitre [36]
"Primeval Atom" 2:26 Lemaitre [37]
"Unclouded Judgment" 3:39 Lemaitre [38]
"Fossil Fuels" 4:10 Lemaitre [39]
"Come Again" 2:14 Lemaitre [40]
"Machine" 3:14 Lemaitre [41]
"Control" (feat. Jerry Folk) 3:02 Lemaitre, Jerry Folk [42]
"It's Not This" 3:10 Bearson, Lemaitre, josh pan [43]
"Day 4" 3:09 Lemaitre, Pretty Sister [44]
"Trip Sitter" 3:22 Lemaitre, Sofiloud [45]
"OK Computer" 3:09 Lemaitre, RebMoe [46]

Remixes edit

Year Artist Track
2012 Lo-Fi-Fnk "Kissing Taste"
2013 Porter Robinson, Mat Zo "Easy"
Netsky "We Can Only Live Today (Puppy)"
2014 Martin Solveig "Hey Now feat. Kyle"
2015 Uppermost "Angels"
2015 Madeon, Passion Pit "Pay No Mind"
2019 Electric Guest "Dollar"

Guest appearances edit

Title Year Other performer(s) Album
"Excuse Me"[47] 2011 Various Kitsuné Maison Compilation 12: The Good Fun Issue
"Dreamcatcher" 2013 Camo & Krooked Zeitgeist
"Polygon Dust" 2014 Porter Robinson Worlds
"Dancing on the Moon" 2017 Hotel Garuda

Music videos and filmography edit

Title Year Director(s)
"Unclouded Judgment" 2010 Johannes Greve Muskat (JGM)[48]
"Come Again"
Across the Baltic 2011
"Appreciate" 2012
"Coffee Table"
"Sceptics"
"The End"
"Time to Realize"
"Keep Close"
"Continuum" 2013
"Cut to Black"
"Fiction"
"Wait" 2014
"Closer" 2015
"Closer" [UK Version]
"We Got U" 2016
"Big" 2018
"Fast Lovers" 2019

References edit

  1. ^ "BAND MEMBERS: Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund". 24 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Well we've both known each other for a while, we went to school together in Lillehammer". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b "Taken from Facebook: Founded on 20 June 2010". Facebook.
  4. ^ "have now relocated to Los Angeles".
  5. ^ "Lemaitre's discography on iTunes". iTunes..
  6. ^ a b "Lemaitre – 1749 EP – out Jan. 29th".
  7. ^ Chapter One, retrieved 9 April 2020
  8. ^ Lemaitre's official announcement on Instagram, archived from the original on 25 December 2021
  9. ^ a b Twitter https://twitter.com/lemaitremusic/status/1461564146214838275. Retrieved 5 January 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Cooper, Duncan. "Video: Lemaitre, "Fiction" + Interview". Fader. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Discovery: Lemaitre". Interview Magazine. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Lemaitre's track Momentum".
  13. ^ "The Friendly Sound EP on iTunes". iTunes. 20 December 2010.
  14. ^ "since their Relativity series came out". 24 March 2014.
  15. ^ "New Music to Know: Lemaitre Brings Indie-Pop Sensibilities & Some Scientific Theories to the Dance Floor". Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  16. ^ "Lemaitre's Relativity By Nite EP on iTunes". iTunes. 30 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Charts Information", Retrieved on 30 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Lemaitre inks Astralwerks US deal".
  19. ^ "Lemaitre remix of a Porter Robinson track". YouTube.
  20. ^ "Lemaitre collaborated with Porter Robinson". YouTube.
  21. ^ "The choice felt right, as the label had been home to their sonic heroes; Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers". Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  22. ^ The title references their current address, archived from the original on 9 April 2016, retrieved 9 February 2016
  23. ^ A luxury that surely pleased Dr. Dre when he lived in this same house in 1995, archived from the original on 9 April 2016, retrieved 9 February 2016
  24. ^ LemaitreVEVO (18 February 2016), Lemaitre - Stepping Stone ft. Mark Johns, retrieved 8 October 2016
  25. ^ Simon, Daniel (9 April 2016). "Coachella Day 1: in EDM, Norway meets Los Angeles". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2016, in pictures". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  27. ^ "soundtrack from electronic band Lemaitre's song "1:18."".
  28. ^ EveryAppleAd (18 September 2013), Apple iPhone 5c ad - Designed Together (2013), retrieved 8 October 2016
  29. ^ "Shout out to Facebook for using our track "Cut To Black" in the #FriendsDay video!".
  30. ^ Pegoraro, Rob (5 February 2016). "Sorry, You're Probably Not As Connected As Facebook Says You Are". Yahoo! Tech. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  31. ^ "AlunaGeorge, Lemaitre, Brolier Playing First Ever Live Minecraft Concert". Music Times. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  32. ^ "Norway to host world's first Minecraft concert". thelocal.no. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  33. ^ Google (4 October 2016), Introducing Pixel, Phone by Google, retrieved 5 October 2016 {{citation}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  34. ^ "Patrouille de France to Perform in the United States in 2017". 30 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Music from Skam (aka Shame) S1E01". Tunefind. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  36. ^ "Momentum Single on SoundCloud".
  37. ^ "Primeval Atom Single on SoundCloud".
  38. ^ "Unclouded Judgment on SoundCloud".
  39. ^ "Fossil Fuels on SoundCloud".
  40. ^ "Come Again on SoundCloud".
  41. ^ "Lemaitre - Machine".
  42. ^ Control (feat. Jerry Folk), retrieved 1 June 2018
  43. ^ It's Not This, retrieved 25 May 2021
  44. ^ Day 4 feat Pretty Sister, retrieved 12 January 2021
  45. ^ Trip Sitter, retrieved 25 May 2021
  46. ^ OK Computer, retrieved 21 August 2021
  47. ^ "Kitsuné Maison Compilation 12: The Good Fun Issue", Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  48. ^ Johannes Greve Muskat's Vimeo page, "Vimeo".

External links edit