Artists to watch in 2014: Heartbeat(s)

For all the jokes over the years in the media about Canada, there has been some very slick music coming out of the maple country in the past year. Ryan Hemsworth, Kaytranada and Azari & III have already caught our attention with their free-flowing music, innovative beats and remixes.

Now we’re looking at Heartbeat(s), aka Markus Garcia, to carry the torch of chilled electronic music from the region. This time last year he was part of the duo LOL Boys (alongside Jerome LOL), the duo have since parted ways to pursue individual solo projects.

What Garcia says that he kept from that partnership is his knowledge of Detroit and Chicago house beats. His solo work also features 80s synth pads, R&B beats and pitch-shifted vocals, which seem to elongate the length of each track. His sparse use of vocals also create a sense of timelessness, which means that you can get lost listening to a four-minute track.

Otherwise, for something more classic check out his latest remix of Francesca Belacourt’s ‘Tizzy’ – very, very smooth.

Published on Purple Sneakers.