Tiga has signed to Ninja Tune sublabel Counter for his next album, which is due out next year.
Following the release of his last LP, 2009's Ciao!, Tiga Sontag embarked on years of heavy international touring that has yet to let up. Since 2013, however, he's been ramping up the release schedule again, putting out a handful of EPs on his own Turbo label (including collaborations with the likes of Audion, Eats Everything and Boys Noize). Details on the new album are still scarce, but we've got the first single, "Don't Break My Heart" below. It was co-produced by Clarian North of former Footprintz fame.
We spoke with Tiga over email about the new record.Your last album came out in 2009. What have you learned in that time?
Time flies when fun is having its way with you. Sometimes I feel as though I've learned nothing, but then I remember I've learned compassion, both of which have an equal effect on my bottom line. I suppose I've also learned that no track improves with time, that there is no such thing as the next level, or if there is it's best reached by accident or elaborate practical joke. There is a window that opens and closes for every musical phase, and if you miss the window… years pass. Lastly, I now know that when others are fearful: BUY. So I guess I learned a shit-ton after all, huh?
Is there any particular inspiration for or theme behind the new album?
Love and romance. More romance than love. I have to love certain people; I’ll romance whomever I please. The album started club but ended somewhere else, somewhere where I am now a man. A man in a club.
You've been collaborating a lot lately, with Matthew Dear, Boys Noize and now Clarian. What has the collaborative process brought to your music over the last few years?
As always, it's the talent and quality of my collaborators and in-studio avatars that allows me to be me. Makes me a better man. Matt really was the central figure early on; he loved making me love making lovemaking music again, and was so pivotal in some big singles ("Plush," "Lets Go Dancing," "Fever," "A Spoonful of Tiga"). He just became a real partner and amazing friend. And I’ve also struck up a magical relationship with Clarian, which is more of a classic songwriting partnership. It took me years to realize that my greatest skill is my ability to work with people, to create a bond and to bring out something special in both of us. I'm routinely humbled and inspired by their talent and generosity; I can't believe how much they pay me to work with them. For me, friendship and collaboration have become almost inseparable, like Batman and Crime.