Search - Anji Bee, Lovespirals :: Love Me Leave Me

A labor of love 3 years in the making, Anji Bee's new album, 'Love Me Leave Me,' is her first solo foray into the long play format. Though closely associated with her duo, Lovespirals, Bee has long collaborated via the Internet with artists including Karmacoda, Beth Hirsch, The Grooveblaster, Moosefrog, and Rom di Prisco of Bitstream Dream. Bee has found online collaboration to be a fulfilling experience, yet secretly felt that given the opportunity for a more hands-on approach, she might have improved upon these long-distance productions.

And what better setting than in Chillcuts Studio, which Bee built with long-time producer/partner, Ryan Lum? Utilizing her own vintage 70's Neumann U87 mic (with a Stephen Paul mod), a new Bricasti M7 reverb, and the producer most intimately familiar with her creative process, Bee has created her best work to date. While not a Lovespirals album, Lum's presence is certainly felt, but Bee has taken the lead, layering and effecting her vocals to new levels of lush perfection - most notably in her heavenly rendition of the lesser known Bitstream Dream song, "Perfect Boy." The title track, "Love Me Leave Me," is arguably her most popular song to date, and as Dave's Lounge has pointed out, this brand new recorded version "chills the song out even more than the first time." Leading up to the launch of the album, Bee released a series of 5 remix singles of this tune, from an international group of producers including Mr. Alfa, Daniel Knoxville, The Morphism, and Urban Punks exclusively on Bandcamp. The full digital release of these remixes will include an additional mix by DJ Puzzle.

In addition to new renditions of some of Bee's favorite collaborations from the past decade, she also co-wrote several new songs for the album with Lum. The sultry album opener, "Got All I Need," recalls the sophisticated, laid back sound of Blue Six, as does "Try To Forget," which Bee first premiered on her '5 Years of Chillin' compilation released in 2011 to celebrate the anniversary of her popular electronica music show, The Chillcast. "Saudade"; is an homage to Bee's love of Brazilian music, and with chorus backing vocals by Lum, recalls the work of husband & wife duo, João & Astrud Gilberto. Over 11 tracks Bee flows from warm and sensual deep house to icy cool trip hop and back again, exploring every aspect of love; desire, satiation, longing, disillusion, contentment -- until finally the album closes with an unexpectedly danceable disco house version of her popular rendition of a Buddhist text by Milarepa, seemingly turning her back on the game of love altogether with its opening lines:

Know ye not that this life is deceit?
Know ye not that enjoyment is illusion?
Know ye not that the world is a passing show?
Know ye not that happiness is a dream?