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Daniel Kaplan — who creates music as Son! — is feeling optimistic when we meet halfway through the writing and recording of his new EP Emotional Robots. Kaplan’s little rented studio has quality speakers and a laptop on his desk, a bass drum and a synth. When I see the keyboard, I recall how years ago, when Kaplan performed using the pseudonym Lord of the Fly, he asked around for piano lessons because he wanted to understand music theory.
He sits at his keyboard, plays a scale and then improvises on it, laughing at those memories. These days, he’s feeling more confident after taking jazz studies classes at UW-Madison.
“I’m producing, recording and mixing an entire album,” he says. “It’s my space, so I have more control. I wasn’t capable of working on a project like this back then.”
He plays rough cuts of the songs, and it’s clear his musical skills have deepened over the years. The instrumentation is diverse and ambitious, and the track list mixes ambient ballads with off-kilter grooves. Heavy bass lines lay the groundwork for raspy vocal hooks, as he jumps between crooning and rapping. This fusion of indie-rock and hip-hop is reminiscent of Toro y Moi, one of his key influences.
Just as he did in Lord of the Fly, Kaplan also benefits from artistic collaborations. When Emily Massey of Slow Pulp sings on the jangly single “Dog,” her voice is used strategically, adding depth Kaplan can’t reach alone. He’s able to step back and consider what his songs need to flourish.
When we meet again months later, the EP is nearly finished and Kaplan is happily exhausted, but wondering about the next step. He’d tried throwing all the mixes out with a new producer, but they’d lost the lo-fi sound he realized he was after. He then perfected those original recordings himself. The songs are tight, and his production skills have taken a leap. He’s proven he can sing hooks while retaining his hip-hop chops. The EP will be released at a party at the Frequency on March 20.
For the listener, Emotional Robots is certainly Kaplan’s most mature effort thus far, both lyrically and sonically. The highlight of the EP is “WHATS GOOD,” which again features Massey. Her melancholy chorus compliments Kaplan’s verses, where he sings, “When I think I control it, that’s when I know, I’m too controlling.”
Kaplan’s live stage shows reflect his work ethic and creative energy. He began a recent High Noon Saloon gig with a promise: “I’m going to leave every bit of myself on this stage.” He deftly commanded a five-piece band with a horn section and finished his performance by leading the crowd in a sing-along refrain.
So, what’s next for Kaplan? It could be time to move to Chicago, but maybe there’s more community to be built in Madison. He’s not sure: “All I know is that nothing makes the music work besides the music.”