LA electronic duo Mont Blvck learnt a valuable lesson when they lost a hard drive of music

As Mont Blvck, their contribution to the city’s sprawling metropolis and cultural diversity goes further than a little bit of dance music. Their Gari Recs live shows - built entirely on passion alone - have been the face of a handful of eclectic parties, not just in the land of palm trees but across the United States and South America.

Musically, the duo have earned a lot of appreciation. Diving in with playtime from Mixmag and Pete Tong, their first EP Letting Go was a humble hit. A pumpy remix from Franky Rizardo also gave them the conviction to put out something new, only this time they’ve got a videographer too.

The pair have developed their unique sound through thoughtfully combining elements like the instrumentation and dreamy vocals of indie pop with synths and drum machines from the dancefloor. New EP Lost Tapes was borne from a decision to, “strip this one back and keep it more underground,” and it goes beyond what you’d listen to in-between club walls - something with indie-esque, floaty vocals that stands on an electronic plinth. The EP is a raw and honest look at what’s beautiful about the ups and downs of the creative process.

Getting their inspiration from artists like Tame Impala and MGMT, Mont Blvk have been bridging expectations across the tech house scene since 2016, attracting not only students with fiery impulse, but also those with a bit more experience on their backs and a taste for the old classics from the 80’s. “Our audience are really colourful and quirky,” explains Englund.

Perhaps their vast array of experience in playing with different styles has provided accessibility for that older dynamic - Cuevas, who won a Latin Grammy in 2013, says he, “got into music back in high school, jamming with pop and rock bands and listening to a lot of Flying Lotus and anything coming out of (iconic Los Angeles club night) Low End Theory.”

The visual for EP track “Forget” is a colourful and nostalgic depiction of one of Englund’s dreams: “I was in LaLa Land with my girlfriend. We were having a great day full of adventure but all of a sudden we couldn’t move we were stuck just far enough to not be able to touch each other I wanted to reach out and hold her. We were like statues, we couldn’t move. And then the whole world just started crumbling into white light and then I woke up and she was lying right next to me.”

The lyrics behind “Forget” are also inspired and written entirely around Englund’s dream. They provide an essence of something we all know; that “bittersweet haze between dreams and reality,” as Jackson sings, “I was in a trance / I forgot I was dreaming.”

But the creative process is never simple and the reality of loss hit these two hard in ways that forced them to move forward. Like “Forget”, there is meaning behind the EP title. In 2018, Cuevas' car was mercilessly robbed and his laptop was stolen along with all the music the pair had been putting their energy into for years. “It was an emotionally crippling situation but a lot was learned from it,” says Englund. He also reckons that losing the tapes was a grieving process. It not only taught him and Cuevas about their working techniques as individuals but also on how to let go: "We strive to be perfect but that can drive anyone insane,” he tells me. “There are a lot of ups and downs that come with perfection. It’s about knowing when to call it.

“Getting the sessions stolen was a blessing in a way, because it gave us no choice but to allow the imperfections and move forward. Human beings are imperfect, in general. But also kind of beautiful, in a way. This EP is imperfect and quirky in so many ways. It wouldn’t be as good without that. A lot of it was on purpose, We added a lot of touches to it that are almost impossible to reproduce. We strived to keep it interesting layering bits and pieces of our surroundings, giving the listener surprises that they might not hear off the bat. Every time you listen to it you’re going to hear something different.

“We learned that you can spend a whole life trying to get something perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s the imperfections that create a unique and authentic sound.”