Exclusive: Shigeto Premieres 'Tide Pools' From 'Ghostly Swim 2'

In 2014, surprising artistic collaborations have become the norm in popular music. But the record label Ghostly International and the TV network Adult Swim were ahead of the curve: they worked together for the first time back in 2008, creating Ghostly Swim, a compilation album full of "exploratory dance and pop music." To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the label, the two creative entities are connecting again for Ghostly Swim 2.Today, Billboard is exclusively premiering a song from the album, Shigeto's "Tide Pools." Listen below.

Sam Valenti, who founded Ghostly International, says "the collaboration with Adult Swim came naturally. Being a giant Tim and Eric fan the bumps on Adult Swim were part of my psyche." After the success of Ghostly Swim, Valenti would "meet fans at shows, [and] many would say that it was their introduction to electronic music." That made him think a second volume would be well-received.

"For this one," he tells Billboard, "I wanted to focus on the internal, finding a meditative and reflective sound. The artists chosen included weren't on Ghostly Swim, and we sought out some new faces... like harpist Mary Lattimore from Buffalo and Swim Team's AceMo, plus newer Ghostly singings like Lord Raja."

Fitting with Valenti's plan for a more "meditative and reflective sound," the press material accompanying Swim 2 reaches back to Brian Eno, the English musician and producer credited as the primary pioneer of ambient music. That means listeners should prepare for soothing textures, loops, and subtle changes, which Shigeto's "Tide Pools" provides in spades. But the song also has a clear pulse: A gentle, pleasantly glitchy rhythm with chimes and soft bells that drift and wash.

As for Shigeto, he remembers the impact the first edition of Ghostly Swim had on him. "I had brought it home from the Ghostly office," he tells Billboard. "I had it on rotation in my car for years, literally years, so many good tracks on there." At the time, he was interning at the label. "I lasted three days," he jokes. "I could probably type 15 words a minute, and my only reason for being there was to pester them to put my music out." But the combination of his pestering and his production talent paid off, and he's "proud to be a part of a project from two platforms I respect so much."

The compilation Ghostly Swim 2 arrives Dec. 23. Check out the track list below.

1. Pascal - Holo 2. Shigeto - Tide Pools 3. Anenon - Grapevine 4. Heathered Pearls - Supra 5. Babe Rainbow - Don't Tell Me I'm Wrong 6. Dauwd - Kolido 7. Patricia - Spotting 8. Lord RAJA - Spilt Out In Cursive 9. CFCF - Oil 10. Feral - Mirror 11. Mary Lattimore & Jeff Zeigler - I Only Have Eyes for You 12. AceMo - Futurism 13. Nautiluss - Lonely Planet

Go here to see the original:
Exclusive: Shigeto Premieres 'Tide Pools' From 'Ghostly Swim 2'