rainbow arabia have been one kompakts most endearing acts to work with us in years. the husband and wife duo danny and tiffany preston started our year out with the genre-defying full length >boys and diamonds< which went on to become one our most acclaimed releases of recent time - the los angeles times went so far as to proclaim >rainbow arabia are l.a.s new electro heroes< in a recent feature. in honor of the exhaustive touring throughout the us and europe the band continues to trail blaze, we found the need to put out another limited edition 7 inch for the fans and collectors out there. the title song >boys and diamonds< combines the sway of >80s pop< with the raw power of cumbia and ethno-dance mayhem. tiffanys vocals are hauntingly powerful and a testament to the sheer will and work this band has put in over the past year. hardmix are a favorite of the band and we here at kompakt were honored have him tackle the song. what we received is melodic techno bliss - a shapeshifting extravagance that uniquely keeps the essence of the original but with a solid bass kick to keep the dance floor well on momentum

boys and diamonds is unmistakably a pop album but also one that comfortably fits in with kompakts long-standing lineage of genre-refracting releases. you will be hard up find another record that cohesively brings to mind siouxsie rubbing elbows with shabba ranks, giorgio moroder sipping daiquiris in bali, desmond dekker envisioned through skittering footwork, tom tom club sitting in with congotronics, even early madonna produced by chris and cosey. unlikely as all of that sounds, rainbow arabia makes it sound easy. mostly recorded at their home studio in echo park, muppet palace, boys and diamonds was written and produced by the couple with help from their friends in los angeles and beyond. drummer/producer extraordinaire butchy fuego (pit er pat, boredoms, mia) contributes arrangements and beats in places, and icy demons dylan ryan plays on the percussion-heavy island shuffle nothin gonna be undone . the album was mixed at the wonderful hobby shop studios in la by mudrock, who also adds some final production touches on the record. the 11 new songs on the album, were also made possible by the encouragement of peers/heroes in la like former ghosts, fool s gold, secret circuit, abe vigoda, and part time punks dj crew. outside of their hometown, they also found support and inspiration from kindred spirits like pictureplane, spoek mathambo, as well as their new home, the ever-illustrious kompakt

averse to any easy classification, rainbow arabias continent-trekking, kaleidoscope pop is rooted in no particular time or place, employing modern technological processes to an array of musical cultures and eras. the los angeles duo began with the purchase of a lebanese casio that played microtonal scales and eastern beats, with which they quickly recorded their propulsive first ep, the basta, synthesizing bossa nova and industrial post-punk with heavy middle eastern vibes. digging deeper for inspiration from the worldly found sounds of sublime frequencies compilations, their follow-up ep, kabukimono, expanded the color palette of their >fourth world< pop with dark, arabic disco-dancehall jams sitting alongside sunnier moments with caribbean and african flourishes...

arriving three years since their mesmerizing new age-tinted synth-pop offering fm sushi, rainbow arabias third full-length album la heartbreak wades through familiar neon waters but even more deliberately, keeping the focus on what distinguishes them from the sea of electronic pop acts out there. danny prestons adventurously exquisite arrangements, sturdy songcraft, and tiffany preston s potent vocal delivery.

zweites album von rainbow arabia. zum hoeren gibts ihren eigenen sound - irgendwo zwischen synthie, melodien, neon, hypnotischer atmosphaere und diversen reminiszenzen.

boys and diamonds is unmistakably a pop album but also one that comfortably fits in with kompakts long-standing lineage of genre-refracting releases. you will be hard up find another record that cohesively brings to mind siouxsie rubbing elbows with shabba ranks, giorgio moroder sipping daiquiris in bali, desmond dekker envisioned through skittering footwork, tom tom club sitting in with congotronics, even early madonna produced by chris and cosey. unlikely as all of that sounds, rainbow arabia makes it sound easy. mostly recorded at their home studio in echo park, muppet palace, boys and diamonds was written and produced by the couple with help from their friends in los angeles and beyond. drummer/producer extraordinaire butchy fuego (pit er pat, boredoms, mia) contributes arrangements and beats in places, and icy demons dylan ryan plays on the percussion-heavy island shuffle nothin gonna be undone . the album was mixed at the wonderful hobby shop studios in la by mudrock, who also adds some final production touches on the record. the 11 new songs on the album, were also made possible by the encouragement of peers/heroes in la like former ghosts, fool s gold, secret circuit, abe vigoda, and part time punks dj crew. outside of their hometown, they also found support and inspiration from kindred spirits like pictureplane, spoek mathambo, as well as their new home, the ever-illustrious kompakt

a fine collection of interpretations picked from three of todays leading newcomers.
gold panda has been causing a stir with his remixes for health, bloc party etc.. here he elegantly samples the vinyl from >i have the moon...< into a savvy dub-stepped dilla-esque roller.
rainbow arabia from los angeles remake >sequenced< into a moroder-fest with tiffany prestons siouxsie-esque voice crooning throughout.
back in london, walls (sam willis from allez allez and alessio natalizio) submerge >leave it< in a sublime sea with waves of bells, guitars and cello.

the mission : bring together 18 international hybrid pop breakthroughs for the summer. for who: those who havent made their way into the jungle of the web and nouveautes in the past few months. fans of todays pop & rock. those who like unexpected hits, and who generally believe that some tracks deserve a 15 days life online. the frame: hybrid pop (except in one case), freshness, air du temps (anxiety-tinted-cheerfulness?), slightly-twisted-lightness. the base: a compilation. remember keeping the faith, artificial intelligence, c86, respect for france, source lab... and the effort behind your own, home made ball pen illustrated mix-tapes. compiling its all about sweat, attention and skills : suspense, respirations, cliffhangers and (not) happy ending... this one says it all on the cover artwork: starting all pop & girly then progressively twisting. you will notice that every sisters support are illustrated by different pictures of virile women and other men accepting their femininity. some of them will be edited as collectors silk screens and might get exposure in paris in july...come have a drink if youre around.