Last week, Shigeto released his second full-length album, No Better Time Than Now, on Michigan label Ghostly International. Having recently turned 30, broken up with his partner of seven years and moved back to his home town of Detroit, Zach "Shigeto" Saginaw's sophomore album comes, he tells Exclaim!, at an interesting time for the electronic producer.
"A long relationship of mine ended about seven months ago," Saginaw explains, "and I immediately hit the studio and didn't leave for a while. So a lot of that music was made in quite the emotional zone at late hours of the night with quite a lot of alcohol, cigarettes and spliffs involved."
The drum parts for the album were recorded in a loft space a mere five minute drive from Saginaw's house in Rivertown, Detroit. "It's beautiful" says Saginaw of the converted warehouse. "It's not necessarily made for recording, but the energy in the space is perfect. It's the first time I've been able to have my full kit set up live, drums and everything plugged in, so it was a whole new game being able to create in this space."
Having access to this new space has had a clear impact on Shigeto's sound; No Better Time Than Now is less glitchy and compressed, as well as jazzier, than his previous work.
"Usually, it's just me cutting up a bunch of audio and just sitting on the computer," says Saginaw "and this one was [me] just sitting, playing and recording and then going back. It has a much more live, organic feeling to it. Much less looping and repetition."
That it's arguably Shigeto's best work to date and certainly his most emotive makes the album's title seem a perfect fit for the music's intensity and optimism. The music of No Better Time Than Now exists fully in the moment, and despite being a break-up album of sorts, it's much more about the liberating feeling of newfound independence.
"It has taken me forever to release something that I truly believe is my sound and I think that had a lot to do with me starting this new period in my life," says Saginaw. "When I listen back to it, I feel like it's very far away from what people are listening to right now and from what is getting hyped or what is 'in,' and it makes me really excited and proud and also so fucking scared at the same time," he laughs.
"But I don't care because I feel like it's honest."
As previously reported, Shigeto is taking the album on tour with fellow Ghostly artist Beacon, with Canadian stops in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. See the full schedule below.
Tour dates:
08/30 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *^
08/31 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *^
09/03 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox *^
09/04 Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall *^
09/05 Asheville, NC - Asheville Music Hall *^
09/06 Knoxville, TN - NV *^
09/07 Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlie's *^
09/08 Louisville, KY - Zanzabar *^
09/10 Lakewood, OH - Mahall's *^
09/11 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar *^
09/12 Montreal, QC - Le Belmont *^
09/13 Toronto, ON - The Garrison *^
09/14 Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Music/Laneway Festival *^
09/18 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge *~
09/19 Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre *~
09/20 Madison, WI - The Frequency *~
09/21 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *~
09/22 Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre *~
09/23 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *~
09/25 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *~
09/27 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile / Decibel Festival *~
09/28 Vancouver, BC - Electric Owl *~
09/29 Portland, OR - Holocene *~
10/02 Arcata, CA - The Jambalaya *~
10/03 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *~
10/04 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *~
10/05 San Diego, CA - Casbah *~
* with Beacon
^ with Heathered Pearls
~ with Nitemoves
"A long relationship of mine ended about seven months ago," Saginaw explains, "and I immediately hit the studio and didn't leave for a while. So a lot of that music was made in quite the emotional zone at late hours of the night with quite a lot of alcohol, cigarettes and spliffs involved."
The drum parts for the album were recorded in a loft space a mere five minute drive from Saginaw's house in Rivertown, Detroit. "It's beautiful" says Saginaw of the converted warehouse. "It's not necessarily made for recording, but the energy in the space is perfect. It's the first time I've been able to have my full kit set up live, drums and everything plugged in, so it was a whole new game being able to create in this space."
Having access to this new space has had a clear impact on Shigeto's sound; No Better Time Than Now is less glitchy and compressed, as well as jazzier, than his previous work.
"Usually, it's just me cutting up a bunch of audio and just sitting on the computer," says Saginaw "and this one was [me] just sitting, playing and recording and then going back. It has a much more live, organic feeling to it. Much less looping and repetition."
That it's arguably Shigeto's best work to date and certainly his most emotive makes the album's title seem a perfect fit for the music's intensity and optimism. The music of No Better Time Than Now exists fully in the moment, and despite being a break-up album of sorts, it's much more about the liberating feeling of newfound independence.
"It has taken me forever to release something that I truly believe is my sound and I think that had a lot to do with me starting this new period in my life," says Saginaw. "When I listen back to it, I feel like it's very far away from what people are listening to right now and from what is getting hyped or what is 'in,' and it makes me really excited and proud and also so fucking scared at the same time," he laughs.
"But I don't care because I feel like it's honest."
As previously reported, Shigeto is taking the album on tour with fellow Ghostly artist Beacon, with Canadian stops in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. See the full schedule below.
Tour dates:
08/30 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *^
08/31 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *^
09/03 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox *^
09/04 Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall *^
09/05 Asheville, NC - Asheville Music Hall *^
09/06 Knoxville, TN - NV *^
09/07 Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlie's *^
09/08 Louisville, KY - Zanzabar *^
09/10 Lakewood, OH - Mahall's *^
09/11 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar *^
09/12 Montreal, QC - Le Belmont *^
09/13 Toronto, ON - The Garrison *^
09/14 Rochester Hills, MI - Meadow Brook Music/Laneway Festival *^
09/18 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge *~
09/19 Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre *~
09/20 Madison, WI - The Frequency *~
09/21 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *~
09/22 Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre *~
09/23 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *~
09/25 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *~
09/27 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile / Decibel Festival *~
09/28 Vancouver, BC - Electric Owl *~
09/29 Portland, OR - Holocene *~
10/02 Arcata, CA - The Jambalaya *~
10/03 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *~
10/04 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *~
10/05 San Diego, CA - Casbah *~
* with Beacon
^ with Heathered Pearls
~ with Nitemoves
