Big Black Delta – “RCVR” (Feat. Debbie Gibson) (Stereogum Premiere)
Jonathan Bates of Mellowdrone — also, lately, M83 — works extensively on side projects alongside collaborators and as a producer, but nothing fascinates him like UFO folklore. That’s the driving creative force behind one of his solo projects, Big Black Delta. For this project, Bates has been revisiting his passion for musical discovery, trying out new instruments and sounds with abandon. Inspired by Debbie Gibson’s iconic ’80s song “Only In My Dreams,” Bates reached out to the singer and asked for a feature. Surprisingly, he got it, and today it serves as the introduction to Big Black Delta’s next album Tragame Tierra. Bates describes the collaboration as a story about two lovers whose time together had ended: “Mix in some Wendy Carlos, Paganini, and modern gospel drumming and we ended up with the song ‘RCVR.'” Listen below.
Tragame Tierra is out early 2016. Support Big Black Delta’s music here via their PledgeMusic page, and see them live at LA’s Teragram Ballroom on 11/5.