Pablo Nouvelle releases new album, “Vulnerability”, on Electronic Elements

Renowned Swiss artist Pablo Nouvelle releases his new album Vulnerability today, following a string of new songs released this year. Vulnerability is the eighth studio album from the Swiss beat maker who’s built an impressive career and enjoyed world-wide acclaim since releasing his debut album back in 2012.

Pablo Nouvelle: “Vulnerability is a dance music album which, by my standards, is hard-hitting, but without losing the sensual and emotional side. No matter how upbeat and danceable the beats are, I want to touch people’s hearts with my music and remain true to the Cry on the Dancefloor genre.”

Listen to Pablo Nouvelle – Vulnerability here

Setting out to create an album that is in tune with the spirit of the times but which still has a timeless quality Vulnerability is an impressive collection of modern electronica, and another stellar example of Pablo Nouvelle’s versatility in style, songwriting and production. “I want to walk the fine line of being as versatile as possible by unreservedly exploring what interests me, further developing my own signature sound that is getting recognised more and more and yet never writing the same song twice. It is tempting to formulate goals that are measurable. But it would be wrong (and not good for your mental health) to define yourself only by monthly listeners and followers.”

Since the start of 2022, Pablo has been releasing new music at an impressive rate – with a new song every six weeks, all of which are included on the album along with a further five unheard tracks. Highlights include opener “Goodbye” which entices us in with its de-tuned synthesizers and overlaying arpeggio tension before it drops you into the void. Title track “Vulnerability” is based on a sample from a conversation about mental health, between the singer Anaiis and the actress Deborah Lukumuena. A particular sentence resonated with Pablo – ‘You can’t be strong if you can’t recognise that sometimes you need to be weak.’ “For me, this is the tagline of our generation, of our zeitgeist,” explains Pablo. “A rethinking that has taken place especially among us men. Fortunately, we are slowly but surely learning that being authentic is more important than pretending to be strong or sometimes tough.” The commitment to vulnerability is contrasted by the track’s excellent bass-heavy instrumental which sits somewhere between Jamie XX and Hans Zimmer.

“Somos Solo Cuerpos I” and “II” are hymns to uninhibited, self-determined devotion and sensuality. “Part I” – a tender and delicate instrumental leads into the second more rhythmic world of “Part II” – Pablo’s ode to the golden age of noughties trip hop. The minimal “You Make My Days Better” is an addictive slow-house jam and a powerful contrast to the dark beats of tracks like La Sensación Es Real and the shuffling synths of the wobbly dancefloor-friendly Bop – featuring drummer Mario Hänni (Mnevis, Rio, Sophie Hunger, Trio Heinz Herbert).

The contemplative “Lights On” soothes with its sparse arrangement and slow blissful strings whilst “Mann:Frau”, exploring the dissolution of gender roles evolves into a slightly crazed harmony sequence – somewhere between indignant drifting, euphoric and latent stress, the music and the thematic content find a symbiosis. There’s more squelchy beats in “Call Me, Bye”, the first song Pablo ever wrote in a Zoom session and don’t miss album standout “Lovesongs & Sextapes”. This is a radio ready anthem for the now generation inspired by a friend who said she was sick of all the drama, sick of lovesongs and sextapes. “What she really was yearning for was a relationship where you could rely on each other,” says Pablo. “I thought the ‘Lovesongs & Sextapes’ quote was so genius that we run to the studio that same night and recorded the vocals for the track.”

Vulnerability is also an album made to be played live. Pablo has big plans for taking this album on the road, bringing back his live band for the first time in over three years, Pablo will be hitting the stage alongside Matthias Nydegger & Roland Wäspe to play the new album in full. “Performing the album live is to position it more clearly as a dance project,” says Pablo on the yet to be announced shows. “Unlike in the past there is no front woman anymore, but the vocal samples will be triggered on video screens by me via Midi and Timon Christen, the visual operator. This allows the visuals and the band performance to merge into one unified whole, along with some epic lighting effects to give it that club-like feel.” Stay tuned for live show announcements, coming soon.

Pablo Nouvelle first gained international attention in 2012 with his self-released, eponymous album, described as “essential” by Mixmag and followed by the EP You Don’t Understand on UK tastemaker label Black Butter. The artist subsequently made a name for himself with his numerous releases and remixes for the likes of Aurora, Gorgon City, Marina, Andreya Triana and collaborated on a AfroBeat EP that featured Angelique Kidjo. In 2021 he united with British instrumentalist and singer Kinnship for their acclaimed joint album – Stones and Geysers.

When not playing live shows with full band you might catch him as a DJ or classical pianist when orchestrating his neo classical album Piano Pieces with a string quartet and grand piano. And when Nouvelle isn’t pursuing music, he is an acclaimed animation filmmaker with 3 award-winning short films to his name. “In A Nutshell”, his last, was longlisted for an Oscar.

Tracklist:

1. Goodbye
2. Vulnerability
3. You Make My Days Better
4. Elementarteilchen (Füsse 5cm Ab Boden Version)
5. La Sensación Es Real
6. Somos Solo Cuerpos I
7. Somos Solo Cuerpos II
8. Lovesongs & Sextapes
9. BOP
10. Lights On
11. Mann:Frau
12. Call Me, Bye
13. La Busca
14. Back Again feat. Fiona Daniel

About Pablo Nouvelle
A creator in essence. An artiste if you saw one. From gaining countless academy concessions for his short political animations to puppeteering international dance floors with his impressive live productions, Bern – born Fabio Friedli has left no artistic scope uncharted. The former filmmaker, current composer and producer, is an ambassador of the live set trend, known for his eccentric marriage of electronic facets to authentic instruments, which blends the underground and the neo – classic into a cinematic audial oeuvre.

The Pablo Nouvelle project quickly gained international traction when Mixmag described his 2012 self – released album as “essential”. Submerging himself entirely into Zurich’s bustling nightlife, and diving into London’s Black Butter and Amsterdam’s Armada Music, he channels these eclectic cities into the music he bears. The subtle influences he draws from the Wu-Tang Clan, Radiohead, as well as soul icons such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway have allowed him to “take soul back to the future,” according to The Guardian. Alongside composing film scores and advertisement singles, substantiating the versatility in his style, he has been focusing on yielding stand – out material in the electronic world, delivering spec tacular immersive acoustic – techno performances with his full band around Europe and South Africa.

Pablo Nouvelle’s extensive artistic background has bred in him a multidimensional level of creativity matched by only a select number of producers in the scene. He consistently surpasses expectations with his fearless experimentations bouncing between mellow, down – tempo chill staples like his recent “Das Elementarteilchen”, to more upbeat, club – friendly dance tracks like “La Sensación Es Real”. He has even broken risky boundaries many electronic artists have not dared to, releasing a piano – only collection entitled Piano Pieces in 2019, followed by an EP of afro – beats rhythms featuring the phenomenal five – time GRAMMY Award winner Angelique Kidjo, and a mini – instrumental lofi album Atlas Internet Café serving as an homage to his time spent in North London. In 2020, he released Obsolete, the instrumental record that had the world dancing in dream states, trailed by his foray into electronic latin rhythms with Emy Perez. This boundless mind has proven to threaten all imaginable genres, from organic to synthetic.

“Often it’s hard for me to describe my own music. Maybe it’s soul music in a dress shop. Sometimes she tries on an indie – pop dress, then a deep house shirt, then a folk – electronic wig. The most important thing is that there is still a soul underneath and the heart in the right place .” – Pablo Nouvelle

When it comes to Pablo Nouvelle, you already know to expect the unexpected. With years of expertise in his back pocket, he has turned every note to gold, regardless of the complexity of the various genres he decides to dabble in from time to time. His idiosyncratic approach allows for many pleasant surprises, making each release a new flavorful treat for one’s senses. Looking into the future, you can anticipate an upcoming album, and of course, many global performances as he hits the road again.

For more information about Pablo Nouvelle, go to:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud