The Hideout Presents: TEEN DAZE All Of Us, Together is the first proper full-length from Vancouver’s Teen Daze. Arriving after a prolific stretch of EPs, singles, and remixes since 2010, and recorded in the hopeful turn from spring to summer 2011, it’s something of a culmination. “I’m very proud of this as my first real LP, and the statement it makes. It fully represents where I’ve come to as an electronic artist.” Teen Daze’s music has always suggested an auditory utopia; this album now propels those aesthetic notions forward in the timeline, resulting in a present moment awareness, rather than trademark nostalgia. “I came upon an old book at a thrift store called ‘Utopian Visions’, an encyclopaedic volume of different views on what utopia might look like, which became a huge inspiration. Especially when considering the future of our world as it actually unfolds. We’re becoming more and more self-reliant, more and more separated from our communities. I wanted to make a record that sounded more synthetic but also inviting—this is futuristic music with a heart.” It won’t take long to hear it as his purest form electronic work to date. Spacious opener “Treten” introduces a pulse that runs throughout Together, sometimes resting in warmth (“Hold”, “For Body and Kenzie”), other times reaching for the smoke-filled ceiling of a club (“Erbstück”, “Brooklyn Sunburn”). Perhaps these tracks feel so alive and communal because they were arrived at through performance. “I played a lot of this material on tour last year, and there’s a connection to that element, it’s all become very dear to me.” “Together” is the key word here. This is a record meant for interaction, be it on the dancefloor or on a drive under the night sky with friends. “There are countless reasons on why a person would create something; my reason is bring people together, to let them know that they’re not alone.”