The String Cheese Incident releases new song “Otherside”

Today, The String Cheese Incident releases their latest creation, “Otherside.” Produced in the spirit of collaboration with high energy electronic/pop trio TELYKast and organic dance music songstress Ruby Chase, the result is a powerful song which highlights each artist’s recognizable musicianship, backed by distinctive production and songwriting. The song was released today as part of The String Cheese Incident’s continuing Sound Lab Series.

“When we (TELYKast) were asked to do a session with The String Cheese Incident (SCI), we were excited—some of us have been listening to them since middle school,” says Linus AK, member of TELYKast.  “Once we got in the room, there was immediately a vibe and we just started messing around. We laid down the percussive bed, caught some catchy chords, and we were off to the races.”

The new song, which will be performed with TELYKast and Ruby Chase during the Second Weekend of this year’s Electric Forest (June 28^th – July 1^st, 2018 in Rothbury, MI), has a backstory that ties to the spirit of SCI’s brand new studio in Colorado called “The Lab”, which encourages experimentation with recording concepts and genres. While in Los Angeles, SCI members Jason Hann (Percussion) and Michael Kang (Mandolin and Violin) were connected through mutual friends of the band The Main Squeeze to Linus of TELYKast. Immediately, the three guys embarked on a unique songwriting journey – incorporating Linus’ electronic sound and guitar background with SCI’s signature sound to create something completely unique. Check out “Otherside” featured on the Spotify New Music Cratediggers Playlist, here.

Meeting at Hann’s studio in LA, they recorded some unique textures to incorporate into the song, which involved Kang running his electric mandolin through several guitar pedals in the studio. Soon after, Linus suggested layering multiple drums for a kick sound and doing the same for a snare sound. Hann then experimented with a collection of drums – Dunun, Djembe, Dumbek, and so on – to create the rhythmic patterns heard on the track.

After spending several days in the studio creating the soundwave background for “Otherside”, the guys called upon Ruby Chase to designate some vocals. Ruby, a frequent collaborator with EDM and pop producers/artists such as Bad Royale and Dugong, had recently performed with TELYKast in Los Angeles.

“We had Ruby come on stage and perform with us at our first sold-out show at the El Rey Theatre in LA, and as soon as we saw her in her element (with no pre-show rehearsal), we immediately saw the vision for her on this song,” said Linus AK.  “We invited her over, and the first voice memo melody she recorded was what the melody is in the final product. In the session with SCI, Kang threw out the word Otherside. He had a lot on his mind and the concept seemed very fitting.”

Adds Ruby, “The beat was huge, full of life and expertly executed with the pop awareness of Linus from TELYKast and the OG musicianship of the SCI guys. The first time I heard it, I freestyled over the top of the instrumental and luckily had my voice memo recording as we ended up using the exact melody from the first run through. It was one of those magic moments where everything comes together so effortlessly and the meaning feels so much bigger than us.”

“Otherside” showcases a true meshing of different backgrounds, which is one of the main goals that SCI strives to uphold through ‘The Lab.’ Each of the artists involved with this track pushed boundaries against their musical sensibilities, ultimately ending a beautiful song made especially for their fans.

Additionally, SCI today release the Billy Nershi penned “Vertigo,” also through the SCI Sound Lab. ‘Vertigo’ is an old school SCI rocker, with high energy that promises to be a powerful addition to the live repertoire. Giving insight into the song, Billy shares, “I was getting ready to go to the Solar Eclipse Festival last year. I looked at the sun through a newly acquired pair of sunoculars. Half an hour later everything started spinning. This is the song about my experience since then.” Welcome to the SCI Sound Lab!