The Offline - Les Cavaliers
Cinematic-soul maestro The Offline is back and continuing to brew his signature blend of sunny, cinematic soul on his latest offering, ‘Les Cavaliers’.
Again channelling the spirit of film composers from the 1960s and 70s like Brian Bennet & David Axelrod, ‘Les Cavaliers’ reunites the colourful cast of musical characters found on ‘La couleur de la mer’, including Chris Hill (Drums), Hans-Christian Stephan (Flugelhorn) and Kimo Eiserbeck (Flute). A continuation of The Offline’s ongoing homage to surf spots in the south of France, the playful tune captures the warm summer breeze, the taste of salt in the air, and the laid-back atmosphere that so often comes with the sun beating down on a glorious coastal day. On the track, The Offline shares:
“Les Cavaliers pays tribute to the Aquitaine region of France, which has been a big influence on my music. The track came about a few days after my debut album was released, capturing a moment of relief to turn the page on one chapter, yet anticipation of what will come.”
Aptly named, ‘Thème de la couleur de la mer’ opens proceedings, establishing the core motifs of the record. Haunting flutes and xylophones lead the way into Khruangbin-esque guitar lines, which sit against a hip-hop canvas that returns on boom-bap head boppers like ‘Quelque chose reste’. Retro soul revival takes precedence on deep cuts like ‘Un bout de chemin’, with wah-gated guitars interacting with emotive cello lines and symphonic string & horn sections.
The Offline came to life when composer and photographer Felix Müller travelled the Atlantic coastline in the south of France with his analogue camera, capturing beach life on film. After coming back to Hamburg, he started writing songs as the sonic counterpart to the analogue visuals. His Debut EP ‘En Clair-Obscur’ includes five tracks that capture the essence of his journey and the feeling of a cool summer soundtrack.
