Gifts is a split EP release between Parks Burton and Kazimier birthed out of a mutual respect of each other's unorthodox production styles. An interactive website was built to allow listeners to create their own GIFs, which animate to the beat of the music and become part of a complex background canvas.
FACT Electronic Pop Weirdos Kazimier and Parks Burton Turn Gifts Into GIFs
"When he’s not touring as part of Chrome Sparks or Shlohmo’s band, Brooklyn’s Bill DeLelles creates warped electronic pop worlds as Kazimier, sampling everything from slide whistles to vending machines. On the other side of the country, San Fernando Valley resident Parks Burton reimagines 80s-soundtrack fare as pop with a modern touch, releasing music on Ryan Hemsworth’s Secret Songs imprint"
The Line Of Best Fit Kazimier and Parks Burton Serve Up Gifts + GIFs On Interactive Website
"Parks Burton creates frenetic, summery jams heavily featuring his own voice. Kazimier is more amorphous, building slower, sample-heavy instrumentals that tend to invoke the 3am aftermath of a night out"
What was the process like on ‘Lotto’ and ‘Money’? What was the strangest instrument you used?
Kazimier: The process for these tracks involved picking an overall shape, improvising, then extracting motifs from the improv and spinning them out over the course of the song. The strangest instruments were coins in vending machines and vintage cash registers, which function as cymbals and other percussive accents.
What were your main inspirations, musical or otherwise, on ‘Ribbon’ and ‘Perfume’?
Parks Burton: I had just moved back to the San Fernando Valley when I wrote these songs. I was working long shifts during the day and writing music late into the night. The songs were influenced by long, sweaty nights in the Valley, sketching out the best and worst-case scenarios for my future. I became really attached to the soundtrack to the movie Creepshow. I was also listening to lots of Tangerine Dream and Hall & Oates; that really pushed me through.
What ties these tracks together?
Trading off tracks helped expose themes and brought out little narratives that wouldn’t be apparent otherwise. We didn’t collaborate on the music but a story emerged when we sequenced it. Each track is a gift, an insidious little trinket that reminds you of the person who gave it to you, no matter how hard you try to forget. You stashed it away in a drawer but you’re still thinking about it.
"Lotto" co-written by Anthony Rispo
"Money" guitar by Jesse Kranzler
"Ribbon" & "Perfume" mastered by Matt Tammariello
Illustrations & design by Jordan Rosenberg
