Lorenzo Senni has a new album on the way, and he is pairing two of American skateboarding’s most famous voices with an urgent, dramatic trance beat. The electronic producer has announced All Ages, his first new record in six years, and the lead single, “Art Life & Skateboarding,” features spoken passages from Chad Muska and Jamie Thomas, two skaters whose careers stand on opposite sides of the sport’s culture.
The album is out 11/20 on Warp. Pre-order it here.
Muska, Thomas and the Skateboard Split
Senni selected Muska and Thomas specifically for the track. Muska was once known as a party animal. Thomas is straightedge. The producer describes the pairing with a single line: “They have opposite characteristics within something I love, skateboarding. It makes for a beautiful encounter.”
“They have opposite characteristics within something I love, skateboarding. It makes for a beautiful encounter.”
That quote is the whole story of the song. Senni is using two skaters who represent different ways of being a skater, and he set their voices against each other on purpose.
The Track List
The album runs eleven tracks, and the contrast between Muska and Thomas is not the only example of Senni stacking opposing forces on one record. The track list pairs spoken word with urgent trance.
- “Art Life & Skateboarding” — the lead single, featuring Muska and Thomas
- “Smile Through Tears”
- “Jealous Of Michelangelo”
- “Your Favourite DJ”
- “La Persuasione e La Rettorica” — featuring Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu
- “Orpheus In The Underground (Who Are The Brutes!?)”
- “Self eXamined Endurance”
- “Purely Coincidental”
- “Spoken Into The Void”
- “XGood Clean FunX”
- “KILL LIES ALL”
Hearing the Single
“Art Life & Skateboarding” sets an urgent, dramatic trance beat to spoken passages from Chad Muska and Jamie Thomas. The track uses spoken word rather than singing, and the contrast between the two skaters’ voices is the hook.
The song is available to hear now.
What This Track Actually Sounds Like
The track pairs two skaters whose reputations are almost opposite. Muska had a reputation as a party animal. Thomas is straightedge.
Senni’s choice is not just a stunt. He is using the contrast between the two skaters to make a point about skateboarding itself.
A Producer’s View of Skateboarding
This is not the first time an electronic producer has reached for skateboarding as a subject, but Senni’s approach is particular. He is not just setting a beat in a skatepark. He is setting two voices, known for opposite habits, against each other on the same track.
The contrast works because skateboarding itself is a sport with a long history of contradiction. A skater can be wild and a skater can be straightedge, and both are still skateboarding.
The Album’s Release
The record is set for November 20th on Warp. The album arrives after a six-year gap, and the single gives a first look at the sound of the record.
The track list shows a producer working in a range of tones, from urgent trance to spoken word.
What We Make of It
Senni’s choice to pair Muska and Thomas is a bold one. It is a move that rewards attention. The two skaters represent different ways of being a skater, and setting their voices against each other on the same track is a clever way of making a point about the sport.
The album’s title, All Ages, suggests a record about skateboarding as a whole. Senni has structured the record to show the range of that whole.
The closing track, “KILL LIES ALL,” arrives after ten tracks that have already set up the contrast between the two skaters. It is a track that has been a part of Senni’s live shows for years, and it closes the album on a note that matches the tone of the rest of the record.
The single is out now, and the album is coming in November.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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