Cinnamon Chasers Rocker

I've been groovin' to the new Cinnamon Chasers album Science since I wrote about it over a month ago. One thing that I've noticed since my review of the album is that frontman Russ Davies does a great job of building and maintaining the Cinnamon Chasers brand. I had a little trouble finding a proper image of Russ, but he sure has enough retro, futuristic, and bizarre images up on Facebook to make his page look like an 80s science fiction scrapbook. I had the chance to catch up with Russ regarding the idea behind the project and some of his other tracks:

Where does the name Cinnamon Chasers come from?

Well, before Cinnamon Chasers, there was a concept. The concept is what you hear today, fun but emotional retro-futuristic indietronic tunes. So once the concept was defined, the goal next was to find a name that shared the same feeling. I like to think of music as fast rushing beams of light, hence the "chase" aspect. The word cinnamon is fun sounding, and I think the music is a mixture of intense rushing beams of sound with a fun undertone. Cinnamon Chasers? No that's just silly. Who'd think of such a silly name? Oh, me...

What was the inspiration behind the music video for your 2009 hit "Luv Deluxe" and how has its success impacted your music career?

The inspiration behind the video was inside the mind of the director Saman Keshavarz. The video was his idea. I guess he picked up on the emotional love story told within the notes of the nostalgic "Luv Deluxe" tune and thought, "Hey, let's make a fucked up love story." Who knows, but it's great isn't it? Regarding it's success on Cinnamon Chasers, I'm glad it's turned a few more people on to the sound of Cinnamon.

I thought I noticed a touch of Daft Punk flavor on "Rocker." Is it safe to say they are a big inspiration for you?

You thought right. I've always wanted to reference those chaps, and I got it out of my system with a couple of tracks from Science. But that's it! Never again shall the twain meet.

Science was just released on January 25, but what do you have planned for the future?

I'll soon be releasing extended instrumental versions of all the album tracks. This is so the DJs have something to play. As the album is for home listening, I want to now release DJ-friendly versions. The extended instrumentals have extended beats sections, no vocals, crazy dubs and special effects, all with club arrangements. It's sounding great.