Brothers by blood, DJs by fate, Chaos in the CBD have come a long way from spinning deep house records at dimly lit parties in Auckland.
These days, you’re more likely to catch them playing sunrise sets in Ibiza or soundtracking a sweaty dancefloor in London’s underground scene. But don’t let the international gigs and guest features fool you – on their debut album A Deeper Life (out May 9th via their own label In Dust We Trust), the Kiwi house duo are keeping things close to home.
The album flows with sun-drenched tracks like “Marlboro Sounds”, inspired by childhood summers in New Zealand’s South Island, and “Love Language”, a smooth, sax-laced groove featuring longtime collaborator and local jazz legend Nathan Haines. Guest spots from Lee Pearson Jr. Collective, Stephanie Cooke, and UK grime MC Novelist round out the mix.
Think field recordings from fishing trips, ambient house inspired by ’90s Italy, and track titles that nod to old habits and homegrown places, and you’ve got a great sense of A Deeper Life. Nostalgic? Yes. Sentimental? A little. But mostly, it’s a love letter – to their roots, to their global scene, and to the kind of music that hits you at 3am in a club, or 3pm on a couch.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with Chaos in the CBD – otherwise known as Louis and Ben Helliker-Hales (or Beans, as he’s affectionately known) – ahead of their album release to talk mellow grooves, memories from back home, and why this time it’s all about taking things slow.
Chaos in the CBD’s A Deeper Life is out May 9th via In Dust We Trust.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: You’ve come a long way from those early Auckland house parties! What made now feel like the right time for an album?
Louis: I think it was just a natural evolution of our music. We’ve enjoyed collaborating with musicians in the past and once we decided we were going to write an album, it only felt right to call up some of those musicians again. It’s still very much a learning process. A lot of the recordings were engineered and mixed in our studio and Beans had to learn new recording and mixing techniques. Working with more studio musicians has really elevated our music though and we’re both very pleased with the result.
If [2015 EP] Midnight in Peckham was your coming-of-age moment, does A Deeper Life feel like a full-circle moment for you guys?
Louis: I think we’ve come a long way since our earlier works and Beans has developed and honed his skills a lot since then. We’ve retained a similar sound, however, and I think it’s a much more evolved and refined product. It indeed feels like a full-circle moment, especially given that we drew so much inspiration for the album from where it all began for us, in New Zealand.
A Deeper Life is a pretty meaningful title. What does it mean to you personally and creatively?
Louis: The name began as a personal joke between Beans and me. We borrowed it from a local spot in our neighborhood, and it just stuck. To us, A Deeper Life means to live a more examined life, to do things with the right intention. We have both made a more conscious effort to appreciate our surroundings and not take things for granted. We wanted our music to reflect those feelings and sentiments.
You’ve talked about your connection to nature growing up. How did that shape the vibe of this record?
Louis: We were blessed to spend a lot of time in nature growing up, constantly around the water. During the infant stages of the record we found ourselves back in New Zealand, going on hikes and fishing trips with family and friends, and that’s when we started to make field recordings too. We incorporated wave sounds, bird calls etc. into the music, which serves as a running thread through the album and ties all the music together.
You’ve mentioned being drawn to ‘90s Ibiza chillout music. What is it about that sound that still connects with you?
Beans: It just makes us laugh really. We probably grew up thinking that stuff was super cheesy but as we’ve gotten older and been to Ibiza a few times now, we can relate to the Balearic sound. It reminds us of growing up in NZ sometimes. Ibiza minus the clubs. Devonport puts the café in Café Del Mar.
This album has more live musicians and vocalists than usual. How did that change the way you made it?
Beans: Working with other musicians wasn’t really intentional. Some of the tracks we had finished on the album were begging for something more. That’s when we decided to elevate the project by bringing more people in. It was a much more meticulous and time-consuming process than we’re used to, but it was definitely worth it.
Nathan Haines features on two tracks. What is it about his playing that fits so naturally with your music?
Louis: Nathan is a pleasure to work with. He’s just a professional and nails it every single time. Nathan was immersed in the broken beat scene in West London in the late ’90s, and as artists I think we both have very similar inspirations. Whether it be on the flute or saxophone, Nathan always seems to effortlessly glide over our productions
Working with Josh Milan on “I Wanna Tell Somebody” must’ve been a dream. How did he shape that track?
Louis: We sent the instrumental over to him and he seemed to love it. We were both blown away when we received the vocal back from him. It taught us not to shy away from collaboration and dream big. Josh was always someone we dreamed of collaborating with, so it was a pleasant surprise when we heard that he loved the track and wanted to add his touch.
House music often taps into emotions in subtle ways. What’s at the heart of this record for you?
Beans: Warmth, introspection, the intersection between melancholy and happiness.
You’ve got some big shows lined up. What are you most excited for?
Louis: New York’s going to be a fun one! We don’t often play there during the day, so I’m really looking forward to that. Also, Rainbow Disco Club in Tokyo – we’ve played there once before, and we were both really impressed with how the festival is run. It’s definitely one you have to experience for yourself.
Lastly, what do you hope people take away from A Deeper Life?
Louis: We hope that it encourages people to sit with the record, listen to it in its entirety. It’s a gentle journey and we hope the music stays with you. We live in a time when everything feels very fleeting and ephemeral, especially art and music. We aimed to create an album meant to be experienced from start to finish, rather than a collection of disjointed tracks.
