The hype has been real with this one - from Walker & Royce incredible set at Dirtybird Campout with live vocals from Dances With White Girls (you'll remember him from ‘Take Me To Your Leader’, aka track of the summer), to Green Velvet rinsing ‘Rub Anotha Dub’ with his vocals everywhere he went this summer, to Claude and the rest of the Dirtybird's support of the records. Their long-awaited debut album Self Help has finally been released on Dirtybird Records today.
Self Help invites listeners on an out-of-mind trip through the quirks and quips of an act on the tip of modern house music’s tongue. The result is a journey whose stops are as fit for introspection as it is for peak club moments. It is this range that reveals the magnanimous personalities of Dirtybird’s new golden boys as they offer up a selection of tracks, no boundaries, no limits just boundless creativity, and sonic joy.
Gavin Royce and Samuel Walker have made a rapid recognition of fans across the globe and into the heart of the genres most sought-after label bosses of late, after linking up with Claude VonStroke in 2011 and working relentlessly to define and refine their now-signature sound.
From the three instantaneously infectious organ chords that open the lead single Take Me To Your Leader, Walker & Royce bring the listener into the distinct sonic world they’ve created, one in which the past and present collide and disparate elements are played off one another for maximum effect. In only a few short years they created a signature sound that we are all very familiar with – of modern religion’s instrument of choice – is brilliantly subverted by the eccentric, party-starting vocals of the duo’s longtime friend Dances With White Girls. The track’s switch to an intergalactic synth line lays the foundation for the album’s continued mirroring of vocals and hardware - if you listen closely, what you hear is what you get.
The magical collaborative continues with standout tracks likes Dances’ second song on the album Love & Marriage, My Own Thing featuring Sophiegrophy, the crossover vocal stylings of OnCue in Role Models, JPatt’s modern call response in Pass That, and the whispers that brings chills to your body with Why Tho and the dreamlike funk of the album’s final breath Need Ya featuring Forrest.
It is this interconnection between producer and vocalist that helps to create the deep sense of emotion felt throughout the release. Walker & Royce explore a selfless and diversely passionate style of production known by few. Their journey is one defined by such relationships and this album stands as a culmination of the highs and lows shared along the way.
Self Help puts a career-defining debut album - an immensely clever project that lures listeners in with club-ready grooves only to leave them in contemplation. Walker & Royce invite you to get lost in the flowing constructs of their imagination while they search for the constantly evolving remedy of Self Help.
Walker & Royce Self Help Tour Dates | TICKETS
10/19 - HiFi Club, Calgary, Canada
10/20 - 9910, Edmonton, Canada
10/21 - MIA, Vancouver, Canada
10/28 - 1UP, Reno, NV
11/11 - Spybar, Chicago, IL
11/16 - Grasshopper Underground, Detroit, MI
11/18 - Birdhouse @ Goldrush Festival, Chandler, AZ
11/20 - Billy's Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI
12/1 - The Nines, Dallas, TX
12/8 - Sound Nightclub, Los Angeles, CA
12/9 - Kingdom, Austin, TX
12/23 - Bang Bang, San Diego, CA
More Dates To Be Announced
This track was made with healing people in mind and if it helps one person out there, then it's a success.” - Mikey Lion