Fakear

Incorporating international influences and genre fusion into his warm soundscapes, producer Fakear quickly established himself as a key figure in the 2010s French electronic scene. With an expansive body of work stretching from the 2010s and into the 2020s, the musician’s varied output has produced three studio albums, six EPs, and two mini-albums.
Born to a musical family in Caen, France, producer Fakear (birth name Théo Le Vigoureux) grew up with diverse musical influences, listening to everything from Maurice Ravel to Massive Attack. After a brief stint with ska-punk alongside Gabriel Legeleux (Superpoze), Le Vigoureux turned primarily to electronic production at the age of 17, adopting the name Fakear (“fake-ear”). Incorporating international influences and a mystical atmosphere into his works, the young musician’s debut came with 2011 mini-album Bird, followed later that year by the EPs Pictural and Backstreet. These early works were catchy yet complex, peppered with production flair and scored with a plethora of instruments from electric guitar to saxophone. During 2012, the musician continued to hone his sound on mini-album Washin’ Machine before signing to Nowadays Records and dropping electronically driven EPs Morning in Japan and Dark Lands. It was his third EP on the label, Sauvage, that would propel Fakear’s career forward: opening track “La Lune Rousse” quickly amassed millions of plays online, bringing the musician’s name to international attention.
After releasing the Asakusa EP (2015) on a visit to Japan, the musician moved to the mountains to record his debut album, Animal. While retaining the international influences of his earliest production work, the 2016 LP primarily continued the electronic directions explored on Nowadays, creating lush collages with soft synths and chopped samples. Swiftly embarking on a European tour to celebrate Animal’s success, Le Vigoureux released the album’s B-sides as Vegetal in December that year. His sixth EP, Karmaprana, was issued in December the following year, before the producer set to work on his sophomore studio album, All Glows. The 2018 sophomore project expanded on the collaborative aspects of his debut, delving into Pop and R&B alongside a variety of purely instrumental offerings. His third studio album, Everything Will Grow Again, arrived in June of 2020. As well as the warm soundscapes and complex production for which Fakear is known, the LP saw the musician push the boundaries of his genre-fusions, adding greater influence from IDM and the club scene. ~ David Crone