Former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy has revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that he will be releasing a live album of the final LCD Soundsystem show at Madison Square Garden and that he plans on turning his focus on making solo music.
Since LCD Soundsystem called it quits in in 2011, Murphy has thrown himself into an array of disparate and exciting new projects. From remixing David Bowie to producing Arcade Fire, filmmaking in Japan and building his own custom sound system, Despacio. And as Murphy told Rolling Stone, he thoroughly enjoys wearing many different hats.
“If I’m fronting a band, I can’t do this or any of the other things that I do,” he said. “Can’t do music for a play. Can’t do edits for Despacio. Can’t build a sound system. Can’t design a new studio. Can’t produce Arcade Fire. Can’t do a Bowie mix. You know, the summation of all those parts at the moment is far more interesting than another year of being a professional rock musician.”
Amidst running through the numerous undertakings he’s conquered this year, Murphy managed to drop in some hints about future plans, including the release of a live album recorded during the final LCD Soundsystem show at Madison Square Garden. Although he says it hasn’t been an easy task. “Jesus, the fucking live album. It’s killing me. That’s been just murder.”
“I mixed it significantly differently than the film [Shut Up and Play the Hits], because the film is mixed for your eye and the record is mixed for your ears,” Murphy explained. “But it took forever, because I’m not really on a label anymore. We had to do artwork, and I was away, and I had to get clearances for everything. It was a real comedy of errors. I finished mixing it over a year ago, so I’ve been like [whistles].”
No date has been set for the live album release but Murphy said he expected it to come out some time next year.
In the interview, Murphy also hinted at the possibility of releasing some solo music in the future, saying his process of making a new record has always involved working in a new space. “I’m building a studio. And the goal is for me to make music when I have my new studio. That’s what I want to do.”
James Murphy is currently working on revolutionising the daily commute for residents and tourists in New York City by creating individual soundtracks for each station of the city’s massive subway system, explaining on US radio last month, “I’ve been fighting for 14 years to get all the subway turnstiles to make music. I want to make every station in New York have a different set of dominant keys, so that people who grow up will later on in life hear a piece of music and say, ‘Oh, that’s like Union Square’.”
