[ PEL001 ] Bicycles Are Your Friends

by Peloton Musique

Formats: 2x12 / CD
Label: Peloton Musique
Released: Spring 2008

Like other electronic music capitals, the streets of Seattle are alive with clicks, buzzes, whirrs, knocks, rhythmic motion and heavy breathing. This could mean any of three things. With their first outing, upstart experimental label Peloton Music sets its ears to two of them: cycling and techno.

For “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1,” label managers Aron Schoppert, Shane Silkey, and Eli Huntington produced a sample kit comprised of pump blasts, spoke plucks, brake compresses and sprocket click-clacks from a [Insert bike model here], then asked the best producers from the Pacific Northwest and around the world to create tracks that reflect the spirit of the peloton – a team of cyclists that rides together, conserving energy and functioning as an integrated unit.

The peloton is not unlike the Northwest’s techno scene, which is now a recognized global fore, with events such as the Decibel Festival importing top talent to the region, while Seattle, Portland and Vancouver return the favor by exporting planeloads of renowned and emerging producers like Lusine, Let’s Go Outside, Jerry Abstract and Nordic Soul. Driven by a shared purpose and a sense of community, the scene has thrived in recent years, becoming both a wellspring for new talent and a must-play date for any touring artist.

Founded in this fertile environment, Peloton Musique aims to hold “techno” to its word – that it should be less of a “genre” than a new philosophy of music and sound, and a new way of thinking about their role in our lives. “We want to create music for environments, for a specific time and place, as sonic theatre,” says Schoppert. “At the same time, community is one of our guiding principles – we want to be more than the sum of our parts.”

Thus, Seattle’s best producers are joined by like-minded global contemporaries such as Markus Nikolai, [a]pendics.shuffle and Twerk (who also mastered the compilation) to deliver 21 tracks that combine the natural fit between bicycle noises and electronic music with implicit themes of health, environmental consciousness and sustainability. “Although we’re not overtly political, we certainly have a message with this release: ride a bike, get in shape, reduce your oil consumption and save the environment,” Schoppert says.

Released on April 1, 2008[?], “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1” will be a gatefold double-vinyl release with specially commissioned artwork that highlights the dance-oriented tracks, alongside a CD that dives into more abstract and environmental themes.

Advance Reactions to “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1”

“From start to finish on this album, it's all tailwind and downhill cruising. " – Dave Segal, OC Weekly

This is the full Digital Release of Bicycles Are Your Friends. This was the original Track Listing, and we had to move a couple of the original Dance tracks to the Bonus CD due to Space limitations on the 2xLP Vinyl. Enjoy.

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Formats: 2x12 / CD
Label: Peloton Musique
Released: Spring 2008

Like other electronic music capitals, the streets of Seattle are alive with clicks, buzzes, whirrs, knocks, rhythmic motion and heavy breathing. This could mean any of three things. With their first outing, upstart experimental label Peloton Music sets its ears to two of them: cycling and techno.

For “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1,” label managers Aron Schoppert, Shane Silkey, and Eli Huntington produced a sample kit comprised of pump blasts, spoke plucks, brake compresses and sprocket click-clacks from a [Insert bike model here], then asked the best producers from the Pacific Northwest and around the world to create tracks that reflect the spirit of the peloton – a team of cyclists that rides together, conserving energy and functioning as an integrated unit.

The peloton is not unlike the Northwest’s techno scene, which is now a recognized global fore, with events such as the Decibel Festival importing top talent to the region, while Seattle, Portland and Vancouver return the favor by exporting planeloads of renowned and emerging producers like Lusine, Let’s Go Outside, Jerry Abstract and Nordic Soul. Driven by a shared purpose and a sense of community, the scene has thrived in recent years, becoming both a wellspring for new talent and a must-play date for any touring artist.

Founded in this fertile environment, Peloton Musique aims to hold “techno” to its word – that it should be less of a “genre” than a new philosophy of music and sound, and a new way of thinking about their role in our lives. “We want to create music for environments, for a specific time and place, as sonic theatre,” says Schoppert. “At the same time, community is one of our guiding principles – we want to be more than the sum of our parts.”

Thus, Seattle’s best producers are joined by like-minded global contemporaries such as Markus Nikolai, [a]pendics.shuffle and Twerk (who also mastered the compilation) to deliver 21 tracks that combine the natural fit between bicycle noises and electronic music with implicit themes of health, environmental consciousness and sustainability. “Although we’re not overtly political, we certainly have a message with this release: ride a bike, get in shape, reduce your oil consumption and save the environment,” Schoppert says.

Released on April 1, 2008[?], “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1” will be a gatefold double-vinyl release with specially commissioned artwork that highlights the dance-oriented tracks, alongside a CD that dives into more abstract and environmental themes.

Advance Reactions to “Peloton Musique, Vol. 1”

“From start to finish on this album, it's all tailwind and downhill cruising. " – Dave Segal, OC Weekly

This is the full Digital Release of Bicycles Are Your Friends. This was the original Track Listing, and we had to move a couple of the original Dance tracks to the Bonus CD due to Space limitations on the 2xLP Vinyl. Enjoy.