Before forming, half of ALASKALASKA met in a Popular Music university course, while the other half mingled among the jazz crowd in South London. Together, its six members found even ground or, rather, a way to seamlessly blend their vast array of influences into a melodic mix that knows no borders. On their 2019 debut album, <I>The Dots</I>, they weave together sex, sax, synths, and sadness into a colorful tapestry of jazz, funk, disco, psychedelia, and pop. To make better sense of the sextet’s rich sonic meld, bassist and producer Fraser Rieley shares with us the music that helped inspire the band to find and refine their sound.Says Rieley: These are “tracks that inspired the making of <I>The Dots</I>. I’m drawn to music that has a certain duplicity, an interesting balance of moods and sentiments. Things that contrast dark and light, happy and sad, depth in texture and tonality, or raw/human components against unusual or jarring elements. Nostalgia and genre also played a big part in how the album was arranged and produced, blending or clashing sounds/instruments/parts that have different musical connotations as a way of making something new and relatable at the same time. Enjoy!”
