camoufly.
There is not just one sonic crate camoufly’s music fits into. His production style isn’t limited to a sole genre—something not every artist can claim. The tastemaker seamlessly blends a diverse tapestry of sounds, such as club-ready music, dreamy melodies, lighthearted tunes, emotional elements, playful beats, deep bass and slow-tempo soundscapes. The anonymous producer best showcases his idiosyncratic musical identity on “can’t get over it (feat. Zeph),” out today, October 13.
The modern-day romantic ballad brings melophiles on a tour through dynamic garage drums, playful synths, charming sounds, UK garage influences, Zeph’s dreamy toplines and sensations of joyfulness, breeziness and tranquility. The record exemplifies the elusive artist’s recent decision to create dancefloor-ready tracks, differing from his early works that were more friendly for at-home listening.
The kawaii bounce label boss says his move to clubbier tunes was influenced by him “revisiting old classics” and the “early 2000s dance music” that he grew up on, including French house, among other genres.
“Even though I listen to many other genres, I think [club music] is where I’m getting the most influence from,” he says. “It’s a lot about what makes me feel something when I’m making the song. I always say when I’m making a song and I’m feeling good making it, I get up from the chair and start dancing to it. It means that I’m really liking what I’m doing.”
He says these throwbacks, as well as the reopening of music venues after covid, led to his new discotheque-driven style. “It’ll definitely be something that I’m going to explore more and more,” he adds.
However, these creative decisions were not the only inspirations for the track: His love for raves and his rural upbringing also played a part. These two elements are fused together in the record with ease. camoufly playfully calls the single a modern romantic ballad, noting that it differs from traditional romantic songs as they typically have instruments that “carry lyrics that have emotional baggage” and are easily “connected to [songs] with a slower pace.” The sonic innovator takes a modern-day approach to this conventional style by merging his electronic sound design with romantic and melancholic lyrics.
The “can’t get over it” vocalist, Zeph, is a singer, songwriter and producer known for her enchanting voice and music that perfectly fits the widely relatable and emotionally-filled themes of a coming-of-age movie soundtrack. When comparing these sonic textures with camoufly’s auditory world, some may argue that the two are from different artistic realms. However, camoufly disagrees, saying that the two have a lot in common—even jokes. He adds that they even found a commonality in their musical styles, which “surprised” him.
“This song demonstrates that there are endless possibilities you can have in music,” he says. “I think [“can’t get over it”] also demonstrates that you can do whatever you want in music. There are no boundaries. There are no limits to what an artist can create. That’s part of the fun that I had [with] making this song—knowing that it was this uncharted territory for me and for her.”
Zeph and camoufly connected online, with the two later becoming friends and learning that they each had an affinity for the other’s music. “After being connected for a bit, there was always this idea of making something together,” camoufly says. The two kept sending each other music until Zeph found an instrumental by camoufly that she liked. Thus, the duo worked together to create a song around the 2021-produced instrumental. camoufly says it “very genuinely came together.” He adds that “Zeph wanted the lyrics to feel very, very personal,” so they shared experiences from their personal life with each other. Those shared moments are reflected in the song.
“What makes me happy is just listening to what I love and eventually doing what I love,” camoufly … [+]
Notably, “can’t get over it” marks a new release format for the mysteriously masked producer. He has been dropping numerous singles this year as opposed to his typical approach of consistently putting out EPs. He has the ability to do this because he is an independent artist. “I’m not one that goes, ‘Oh, I’m having a viral moment, so now we have to release like five singles in a row because we got to keep up the momentum,” he says. “I’m just like, ‘Yeah, this could be a cool time for a single like this.’ Then [me and my management] go for it.”
In addition to his omnifarious approach, camoufly is renowned for mixing samples in imaginative ways, further impressing audiophiles with his production prowess. “To me, sampling is a way to transform my music into other music,” he says.
Growing up listening to records that were sample-influenced gave the sound designer a sonic taste for this creative style. He adds that now as an artist, these early listenings have shaped his sample choices to this day. The music creator unexpectedly discovers elements, even small ones at times, that pique his interest when sample hunting, which he says allows “the ideas to flow out.”
“I don’t stop and think about it,” camoufly says. “I don’t even control it. Then, things happen. After a couple of hours, I stop everything and I’ll be like, ‘Let’s see what we’ve done here.’”
The multi-faceted creative adds that something as simple as a 20-second loop can provide him with “something in that moment,” further sparking his music innovation. Lately, he has been digging into old CD Sample Libraries, noting that there are online resources available that offer unfindable Sample Libraries from 20-plus years ago.
When it comes to what producing and deejaying means to him, the forward-thinking visionary says that music helps him “carry” his feelings and articulate who he is. He believes that all humans need a form of self-expression. “I think music is the one art [where] I express myself in the best way that I can,” he says.
However, his need for self-communication extends outside of just listening to music as it has become who he is as a sonic storyteller. “In a broader way, I think music also helps me have a whole artistic project, which camoufly is, that I use as my pure creative outlet with whatever thing that I associate with the project, whether it be the mask, the ways that I present myself to the people, the ways I study my deejay sets or [the ways] I play music.”
Over his illustrious career, camoufly has gained the support of several household names in the electronic scene, including Porter Robinson and Boys Noize, as well as been featured on dance music radios BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and Triple J. Continue to watch the kawaii bounce label and brand master. camoufly is sure to impress again.
