Witte Beer is the electro-pop alias of Jeremy van Leeuwen from Toronto. The hard hitting sound of Witte Beer evokes likeness to artists like Kim Petras, SOPHIE, and Grimes. Bright bubblegum vocals deliver earworms that float crisply on top of the punchy framework.

After the success of his first single, “Cut You Loose,” Witte Beer is showing no signs of slowing down and continues to expand his musical artistry with his first EP, Fairlight.

For the EP, Witte Beer wanted to create more of a sonic motif than a lyrical one. Most of the melodies come as randomly as humming a tune in the shower, on a bike ride, or browsing through sound banks and all of a sudden creating a riff inspired by a new sound.

The title track, “Fairlight,” was written starting with the intro guitar phrase and portrays a sense of motion and anticipation. The sound came from a CMI Fairlight sound bank, which is a vintage sampler. Witte Beer felt so much inspiration from that single instrument that all of a sudden it became the project name and focal point.

“I spent many years working on electronic music in a bedroom and never releasing any of it as I found it unsatisfactory,” said Jeremy. “Jumping into pop was freeing – even for a relatively formulaic genre. I hated the minute long intros and outros of house music, trying to create those and maintain interest was tiresome, so this transition is a welcome chance.”

Swallowed by OCD for the better part of a decade, it was in the solitude of the pandemic that Marc Apollonio discovered himself again. Years had disappeared into the mental disorder and his marriage broke up… but there he was, in a city silenced by COVID-19, starting to return to himself. He was privileged and fortunate: unlike many people, the pandemic brought more, rather than less free time. With the seclusion, his mind regained, he began working on new music. 

The best artists are ones that are able to render diverse and complex themes into a few incredible minutes of words, melody and rhythm. apollonio’s hope is to bring the same truth to his music. 

His first release is “Moonta Bay,” a nostalgic and accepting alternative pop song about the end of a significant relationship. Days before his marriage ended, apollonio and his wife were driving through rural Australia, near her hometown. It was an exceptional and happy day, but life goes on, despite important things disappearing. You keep going and there’s sadness and then new things come. 

apollonio approached his friend, music producer and musician, Mark Andrade to see if he would help out with producing “Moonta Bay” and several others – to “Andradify” them. Mark brings his own vibe and sound to music and their goal while working together was to blend their vibes and visions. 

The artwork shows an Australian magpie. They’re incredible, playful birds with strange, digital-sounding vocalizations. You can hear magpie calls worked into the song itself. They’re dear to apollonio’s heart and connected to the themes of the song.