Saint Pepsi
| Skylar Spence | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ryan DeRobertis |
| Also known as | Saint Pepsi |
| Born | Farmingville, New York |
| Genres | Vaporwave, nu-disco, future funk |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Carpark |
Saint Pepsi is the stage name of American electronic music producer Ryan DeRobertis.[1] He began producing music under the name Saint Pepsi in December 2012,[2] and released his debut album Hit Vibes in May 2013. As of January 2015, DeRobertis has begun to produce under the name Skylar Spence, as a result of legal troubles with his original title.[3]
Career
Saint Pepsi has received acclaim from numerous music blogs, such as Stereogum, The Fader and Pitchfork. Stereogum named him their "band to watch" in July 2013, and called the music "addicting and fun."[4] Pitchfork praised the release of "Mr. Wonderful,"[5] the lead track off the 2014 EP Gin City, which was hosted on the music blog Gorilla vs. Bear.[6] In February, Gorilla vs. Bear also hosted the premiere of the track "Baby."[7]
In June 2014, Saint Pepsi went on tour with Painted Palms,[8] after signing to Carpark Records, whose roster includes such artists as Beach House, Cloud Nothings, Toro y Moi, and Memory Tapes.[9]
Before beginning his career in music, Saint Pepsi attended Boston College.
Style
Saint Pepsi has been described as "vaporwave,"[4] "disco pop,"[5] "future pop," "liquid disco," "slowjam," and "gibber boogie," [1] though the project crosses borders between traditional music genres. The millennial often incorporates unorthodox sounds in his music, using sources such as Mario Kart 64. He often samples pop songs and The Fader calls his nonchalant approach to Top 40 hits "refreshing,"[10] and calls his music "restless and nostalgic and sonically curious."[11] DeRobertis is quoted as saying, "I’m drawn to tuneful melodies; complex chord structures; outlandish synths and drums; and I like to take pop a capellas and see how I can warp the songs while keeping the melodies almost entirely intact…I want to make pop music for freaks, basically." [2]
Discography
- Laser Tag Zero (2012)
- Triumph International (2013)
- World Tour (2013)
- New Generation (2013)
- Empire Building (2013)
- Hit Vibes (2013)
- Studio 54 (2013)
- Better (2013)
- Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe" (SAINT PEPSI edit) (2013)
- Local Singles (2013)
- "Mr. Wonderful" (2014)
- Gin City (2014)
- "Fiona Coyne"/"Fall Harder" (2014)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gruber, Jesse. "Saint Pepsi’s Ryan DeRobertis talks music, method". Columbia Spectator. Spectator Publishing Company. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Saint Pepsi". Carpark Records. Carpark. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ "SAINT PEPSI IS NOW SKYLAR SPENCE". Carpark Records. Carpark Records. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bowe, Miles. "Band to Watch: SAINT PEPSI". Stereogum. Spin Media. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Szatan, Gabriel. "Saint Pepsi: "Mr. Wonderful"". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ Chris. "mp3 premiere: Saint Pepsi – Mr. Wonderful". Gorilla vs. Bear. Gorilla vs. Bear. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ Chris. "premiere: Saint Pepsi - Baby". Gorilla vs. Bear. Gorilla vs. Bear. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ McDermott, Patrick. "Stream SAINT PEPSI's Feel-Good Remix of Painted Palms' "Hypnotic"". The FADER. The FADER Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ "Carpark Records". Carpark Records. Carpark Records. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ McDermott, Patrick. "Listen to SAINT PEPSI's K-Pop-Sampling "Baby"". The FADER. The FADER Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ↑ McDermott, Patrick. "Download Saint Pepsi's Gin City EP". The FADER. The FADER Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2014.