Navigateur

One of my favourite producers of avant garde and experimental synth music is Navigateur. Walking a line somewhere between LaserDisc Visions and Com Truise the sounds produced by this talented visionary consistently offer new and diverse journeys into the galaxies of synth music while always maintaining a primarily 80s tone and personality.

One of Navigateur's tracks from last year, We Need The Beat, was my number 2 track for the year in my Electronica chart and his latest release contains the official home for this masterpiece along with six other totally rockin Navigateur journeys into the future.

The opening salvo, Elevator Music, is a perfectly crafted introduction to the futuristic vistas we're about to explore. Synth tracks flow and pulsate with the colours of futurism, crystallised in chrome and neon, welcoming and yet cold with austerity. This piece is just off-kilter enough to make your centre of gravity feel slightly out of alignement before the floor drops away and our concepts of the near future become rewritten, Navigateur style.

The pulsating neon becomes the Bright Lights of chapter two. The funky staccato loops begin forming in esoteric layers, stippled with vocal stabs and a glorious delirium that is pure Navigateur in colour and motion. There are so many totally rockin 80s sounds in here that are brought into a futuristic dimension, it's like we went right from 1985 to 2020. What Navigateur's sound trades off in its authenticity to 80s sounds it gains in its own personalised vision that manages to remain true and honest.

One just has to hear to radiantly radical opening to the title track, 2020, to know the heart of the 80s beats loud and proud within the modern vestige displayed. The bass funks up a storm and orchestral stabs punctuate a glitching vocal that is still epically soulful, then the hi-hats open up and the stratosphere becomes a multicoloured kaleidoscope of aural energies. The majesty is breathtaking and the fact this track leads into We Need The Best makes for an absolutely stunning experience.

We Need The Beat is a musical adventure, I personally think, is total perfection. This was one of my most listened to tracks last years and just begs to be put on repeat for hours at a time. The glitch skipping is engineered to masterful brilliance and everything feels like it's riding the same audio roller coaster, leaning into the turns while the inertia bends out the lower end of the spectrum only to then be sent careening in the opposite direction in a startlingly beautiful manner. It's hard, still, to go passed this track on the album, but more Navigateur magic beckons, this time with and extended robotic hand that beckons and guides us into the Destiny Club.

The smoothness of the first half of the album is eschewed for sharper and more sparkling piece that jumps in and out its own dimensionality like some kind of multi layered holographic dancer. This track's midpoint takes on a much more relaxed vignette of calmly serene beauty, but this flight of fancy is merely hinted at before the colours mesh, then flicker once more.

2020 contains Navigateur's own brand of synth romance in Future City Love. The resonating tones of the opening lead into pure 80s teen love splendour as the times of 2020 become the place of first crushes and late night phone calls. The glitch skipping is used in a wonderfully warm new way in this piece, feeling like your heart's skipping a beat when her eyes catch yours across a crowded home room. The final parts of Navigateur's romantic foray ends up at night time on the beach where first kisses beneath the twin moons lead to a whole new future of possibilities.

Our final experience in 2020 keeps to a similar motif in Dream School. This is pointed directly into the dreamy end of the spectrum with a tailspin dive through pink clouds at the speed of sound accompanied by a driving percussive track and a refrain that calms the mind and spirit in the face of all this possibly cataclysmic energy. Pulling out of tailspin and climbing back into the heavens we feel the earth drop away and star filled universe becomes the canvas on which our dreams are painted. The story is made complete as the void of space rotates around our very beings, becoming one with the energies of earth and the cosmos as the final evolution of human kind.

2020 is presented by Synconation Records on their Bandcamp page here for FREE purchase. This release is such a perfectly arranged and constructed experience that it is most certainly deserving of being a Synthetix Reference Experience.

Be sure to give Navigateur lots of love on his soundcloud page here and Facebook page here and thank him in advance for the future we're yet to experience. - Synthetix.fm

Navigateur, or Carlos Andujar out of Jacksonville, FL, is giving us all an EP to enjoy. And when I say enjoy, I mean it. He's given the Waxhole an advance listen and yeah the two tracks posted below are just the surface of the goodness that follows.

We've posted Navigateur before (HERE) and we've been keeping tabs on him ever since. This album will be available to download on the label's site, Synconation.com and there will be a listening party on Turntable.fm here on Friday (More details).

As for the album, the title track, 2020 as you see below is one that synths out to great effect, using the driving beat to keep that head bobbin and the ass shakin'. We Need The Beat is equally infectious as 2020 and you'll be left wanting more after hearing.
When asked about the inspiration or theme of the album, Navigateur had this to say:

"The theme is basically an homage to an antiquated vision of how people from the late 70s and 80s may have viewed the future in the new millenium (think cityscapes seen in Bladerunner, sci-fi tech seen in Dune, the silliness of Back to the Future). It follows a loose narrative of a girl stumbling into this futuristic city and the EP is more or less a soundtrack chronicling her journey through the city as she wanders its streets, finds love, and eventually escapes it and returns to a home of pure energy."

So follow Navigateur, check out the rest of the album and show Carlos some love. He deserves it! - Waxhole

Take a breather from the ear banging EDM consuming Miami this weekend and feed your mild side. Carlos Andujar (aka Navigateur) dishes out some upbeat, synthy analog tracks for your listening pleasure. Navigateur first started when he found freedom in composing and performing electronic music and by incorporate acoustic elements and sounds from found objects he avoids a “template” for his music. Thus far he has mainly played around Florida, including an opening set for Tycho in Tampa.

To date he has released two EPs titled Steady Drift and Slurrr, as well as his first full-length album titled 2020 which you can download for free by clicking here(http://synconation.bandcamp.com/releases). Navigateur currently resides in Atlanta where he has a studio up and running and is cooking up some more jams. Enjoy some of his warm, neo-funk tracks posted below and meltttt. - Nightdrive Miami

The fuzzy, atmospheric Navigateur is the electronic project of Carlos Andujar. His first EP, Steady Drift, was just released (for free!) by Synconation, a new blog-turned-record label in Jacksonville. Check out the track "River of Light" for a sampling of his hypnotic, experimental sound. - NYLON Magazine

As a sucker for most everything 00s R&B, I was hooked on Navigateur’s “Girl on the Couch” right at the 14 second mark. A looped sample of the first six keys from Mary J. Blige’s 2005 hit “Be Without You” at first feels quite claustrophobic, especially considering just how powerful the moment of resolution is in MJB’s original chorus. But a handful of chopped (and occasionally screwed) samples soon rushes in on wave after wave of warm synth, and any feeling of tension is delicately, swiftly washed away.


Of course, this 4-song, super-busy EP is just one little moment in what is, ahem, a momentous release for my birthcity. Steady Drift is the first release from the Jacksonville, Florida-based upstart indie label Synconation Records. The label is the latest in an interesting series of passion-fueled entrepreneurial spinoffs. As Amy Moore writes in the her piece “Jacksonville: A Place to Stay?”,

“Synconation, the blog, is itself a spin-off of locally produced NPR show State of the Re:Union, with SOTR staffers Brenton Crozier and Ian Latchmansingh deciding to focus more energy on the musical connections they made through the show. Eventually, Crozier says, because “the show wasn’t the right venue to fully utilize those contacts,” he was hit with the idea to start a music blog…On their quest to create a Jacksonville “media empire,” as Crozier only half-jokingly calls the endeavor, the two had more in mind than just music reviews. They began to envision ways they could help the local music scene and bring a spotlight to Jacksonville bands…Latchmansingh reflects that he and Crozier ”weren’t completely aware of it when we started a year ago, but our writers are rooted in the local music scene, and we were finding a lot of great bands that were unsigned and not properly promoted. It wasn’t long before the pair joined with Jacksonville musician and former music store owner, Cash Carter, to get the ball rolling and officially form the label.”

The pair is inspired by the grassroots rise of such labels as (now) Durham’s own Merge, but how easy it is to foster a nationally-recognized scene via record label in the single-ccentric, mp3 era remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s one helluvan intriguing experiment-in-progress for both Jacksonvilleans (?) and followers of truly independent music alike.

Visit: synconation.com (But beware: they really, really like their lists of 5). - Belated, Baby

Near the end of 2011 we stumbled upon Jacksonville’s Navigateur. We all quickly fell in love with his music. If you recall, he was also in our Neighborhood Brains Mixtape that was basically a compilation of our favorite songs that had been released in these past few months.

Carlos Andujar (Navigateur) is the man behind all of this magic being made. He is one of the coolest and nicest dudes you’ll meet. He was also kind enough to do an interview with us, going over from how Navigateur started to his music writing process and main influences (NO, we didn’t ask any chillwave questions). We’re super stoked on this and could not be more thankful to Carlos.

But wait, there’s more.

Remember how I said he’s the coolest dude you’ll meet? Well this just goes to show. He made a mixtape for Neighborhood Brains. The mixtape is a bunch of songs that helped him get through a “not quite having a winter in Florida”. It’s by far one of the best mixtapes I’ve heard.

So check out the interview below and listen to/download the mixtape that Navigateur made for us.

We ? you Navigateur.

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//Interview///

NHB: First things first, could you give us a little brief introduction? How did Navigateur get started? Is this your only project you’re involved with?
N: So I started Navigateur as kind of a reaction to some of the music I was hearing at the time. I had always loved 80s music and shoegazer music but I didn’t quite know it yet, I guess. I heard M83‘s Saturdays = Youth and I felt like he captured this awesome spirit of the 80s in that album and it just started stirring that love of the 80s that I had again. A while later I heard Onra’s Long Distance and Washed Out’s Feel It All Around and after hearing those albums I was sort of like, “Alright, this sounds like too much fun, I’ve got to take a stab at this!” I wasn’t setting out to copy anyone or anything like that, obviously, but I definitely felt like the heavily 80's-influenced sound was such a perfect marriage of really airy, ambient music with the more fun, beat-driven, hip-hop inspired stuff and it felt like the kind of music that I had been waiting to hear and wanted to be a part of. So I started reading online and researching how people were making electronic music, gradually started building my setup, and eventually developed my own little methods for writing songs.
NHB: When did you start making any kind of music?
N: I had always tinkered with writing electronic music since I was a teenager. I started out playing with a really cheap Yamaha keyboard that my mom bought when I was a kid. It had these really cheesy drum sounds on it and I would just layer and bounce tracks on this 4-track that I had borrowed from my cousin. Eventually I got a hold of ReBirth and FruityLoops3 and made some really awful techno music that I would pass around to my friends.
Aside from that, I had started playing guitar when I was still in elementary school, and just sort of taught myself how to play. Eventually I just sort of picked up bass, drums, synth, and a little cello (of which I’m still horrible at) and found ways to record my ideas and eventually started paying attention to them enough to where I could organize them better into actual songs. I ended up playing a variety of instruments in a variety of different kinds of bands over time, and Navigateur is my latest chapter.

NHB: Tell us a little about Jacksonville. What’s the music scene over there like? Is there much of a fan base for Navigateur?
N: Jacksonville has always been this kind of enigma to me. I’ve lived here for about 15 years, more or less, and the scene (it feels like that’s too cohesive of a term to use to describe the landscape here) has changed so much, even in that short span. We’ve gone from having grassroots music festivals, multiple record shops and venues to having maybe 1 record shop and only a handful of venues to play at. It’s been up and down like this for years, and it’s just hard for things to remain consistent.
Recently things have started picking up again, and there are people here in town who are really trying to do great things for the community and bring some attention to our city. People like Brenton Crozier, Ian Latchmansingh, Cash Carter, and Vlad Thee Inhaler seem to have a genuine interest in helping local talent shine and really illuminating the potential that the artists in Jacksonville have to offer.

In terms of my fanbase, it’s hard for me to say. I’m really just getting started but the initial response has been pretty great and I’m so thankful and appreciative for the people who actually enjoy what I’m doing and appreciate my work. I’m not trying to convert anyone, I just hope to move someone in some way!

NHB: Any bands/artists from Jacksonville to keep an eye on?
N: Yeah totally, there is some good stuff here in town. I really love the little bit that I’ve heard of Moyamoya, which is a 3-piece instrumental band who does - Neighborhood Brains

Navigateur has just released his second EP Slurrr via Synconation Records last month. His creative use of soundscapes captivates your ear and sends you on the chill wave wagon. From beginning to end it's a smooth and layered progression of atmospheric sound. I was lucky enough to have had the pleasure of talking with Navigateur and watching him perform last Friday at the Tycho show in Ybor City. Here is what he had to say:




TLC: Tell me a little bit about your new EP Slurrr. What was your inspiration behind this EP?

Nav: I have to be honest and tell you that there was no real “theme” or “concept” behind this EP at the outset. To be even more honest, this EP was really put together simply to have something to offer at upcoming shows, in particular the last show I played opening for Tycho!

That being said, as I was compiling a list of songs that seemed to make the most sense together, I felt that there actually was some sort of common thread among the tracks in terms of the circumstances in which they were written.

I generally stay up until the very early AM hours to finish up tracks, and these were no different. In some cases I would work on a song, not go to bed at all, and just pick away at until it was time to go to work in the morning. The result, aside from the music, was me in a weird, groggy, near-euphoric state the following day. You ever try to wake someone up from a deep sleep and try to understand the words coming from their mouth? There’s your album title.

TCL: How many albums have you released so far and how have they progressed in your mind?

Nav: As far as Navigateur is concerned, Slurrr is my 2nd official release. I have a bunch of songs including a few remixes, that can be found online, but yeah, Slurrr is the 2nd official release.

Steady Drift was very much an experiment in that I was still learning how to write this kind of music and figuring out all the little nuances that go into making, what I consider to be, a good song, so there’s a much more raw, adolescent component to that release.

Slurrr feels a little bit more polished, although there’s a track or two that was written when I was first getting started with this kind of thing. But overall it feels a little more polished, and I feel like I know what I need to do in order to get the desired effect. The new EP also features a few more live instruments versus VST instruments. For example, “Ghost of Xi Xi”, which is the first single off the new EP, has some live drum work that I recorded open air for that kind of “far away” and gritty effect.

This new EP also has a lot less reliance on sampling versus Steady Drift. This wasn’t my first choice, but in light of the state of copyright law in this country, it’s kind of a necessary one if you want to release an album for sale and not get sued, unfortunately. And believe me, I’m fully aware of how lame that sounds.

TCL: What kind of equipment are you currently using and if you had to choose, which one is your favorite?

Nav: So far, Ableton has been the main brain behind all my songs. I do all my writing, recording, playing live shows, and some pre-mastering in Ableton.

I’ve been trying to go in more of a hardware direction versus software, collecting more hardware synths, outboard recording gear and effects, things like that, but every now and then if it calls for it, I’ll grab a good VST instrument for some quick and dirty sequencing and the like.

I’ve only recently started my synth collection, but so far I’ve scored a Yamaha DX7, a Roland Super JX-10, and most recently an Ensoniq SQ-80 synth. I also use an Alesis Micron for some leads, bass lines, and some occasional pads.

The SQ-80 has been REALLY awesome so far because of how versatile it is. I also love the fact that I can load a ton of patches via 3.5mm floppy disk but still have the great sound of analog filters.

Some day, though, I’d really love to own some good analog gear. My dream synths include the Roland Juno-60, Moog Minimoog, and ARP Odyssey just to name a few...

TCL: Where do you get your inspiration from when making your music?


Nav: It’s kind of hard to narrow it down to just one source. So many things influence how I create things. Little daily interactions with people can spawn entire songs for me, or just being around certain parts of the country can put me in a certain mood and make me want to write.

Cinema also plays a huge part in how I create. Something about the graininess of films from the late 70s and early to mid-80s put me in such a weird state, in a good way. There’s like a weird loneliness/emptiness that just kind of permeates those films and the old methods of movie production give them this archaic and imperfect feel, and I just really feel like a lot of those films resonate with me. The film scores from that era are also huge for me. Listen to the synth work in The Warriors, or the enormous guitar riffs in Toto’s score for Dune. I love BIG sounds - The Collective Loop

Navigateur. Cet Américain (Floride) qui baigne dans les 80’s nous y invite l’espace d’un trek Chillwave très “Kavinskien”.
Si vous ne connaissez pas le genre et la BO de Drive vous a plu, ne passez pas votre chemin ! Cet EP est fait pour vous !
D’emblée notons le très bel Artwork.

Globalement très aboutit, l’EP dénote la qualité de l’artiste, il n’y a aucun déchet.
I Know I’m Falling, But I’m Still ouvre magistralement Slurrr.
Après avoir dévoré Ghost Of Xi Xi et Nobody Knows! on s’arrêtera sur l’excellent You’re Always Here. Merveilleusement fluide et très riche, ce morceau est d’une rare beauté.
Surprise très agréable sur la fin d’Everywhere, des doigts de velours se chargent de clôturer un très bon moment musical.

Si vous avez apprécié cet EP autant que moi, je ne peux que vous inviter à soutenir Navigateur sur son facebook.

DK - We Know How To Party

In a testament to hard work of a certain Carlos Andujar, his band — Navigateur — has found itself being uttered from our digital mouths a lot lately. We were thrilled when his label — Jacksonville, Fla.-based Synconation Records — gave away free downloads of his four-track EP back in October and even more elated when the outfit opened for Tycho earlier this year.
Now Synconation has released Slurrr, a six-track extended player featuring more of Navigateur’s knack for crafting rich, lusciously textured, downtempo electronic music (or what y’all like to call chillwave). “The Ghost of Xi Xi” is a more upbeat number which features foreign language samples and an instrumental track that makes us feel like we’re living in a video game. Have a look at the video for “Xi Xi” here, and stream the entirety of Slurrr below. Purchase the effort here. - Suburban Apologist

Jacksonville’s Navigateur (aka Carlos R. Andujar) released his debut EP Steady Drift just recently and its 4-track entity encompasses everything chill in the electronic producers’ domain while paying homage to ’80s and early ’90s r&b aesthetics. Check out the super smooth opening cut “Girl On The Couch” and grab the rest of the EP for free at Synconation Record’s Bandcamp. - Hearing Gold