How It Was Made: The Wild Violets – Sweet Redemption (The Disco Express)
The Wild Violets have truly pulled out all the stops with their glittering new single, “Sweet Redemption”, out now on The Disco Express.
Built on a foundation of deep funk grooves, shimmering guitar riffs, and lush vocal harmonies, the track perfectly encapsulates the band’s ethos: a fusion of vintage disco flair with forward-thinking production. It’s a sound equally at home on peak-time dancefloors as it is sliding into the warmth of a late-night playlist, and an ode to the roots of disco that still looks firmly to the future.
Drawing inspiration from legends like Nile Rodgers and Jamiroquai as well as modern tastemakers Parcels and Franc Moody, The Wild Violets manage to bottle nostalgia without ever sounding dated. “Sweet Redemption” is drenched in analog character, with silky synths, euphoric hooks, and velvety backing vocals giving the track a magnetic pull. It’s a shining example of why The Disco Express has become one of London’s leading disco labels: releasing music that feels timeless while pushing nu-disco into new territory.
Set to feature on “TDE100”, a 15-track collection distilling the essence of the label due out on October 24th, “Sweet Redemption” lands as part of a momentous celebration, complete with a four-day exhibition in Shoreditch and a seven-carriage ADE party. This train isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and to help celebrate the occasion, we’ve asked The Wild Violets’ drummer and producer Tommi Danielli to break down just how “Sweet Redemption” came together. Take a listen to the tune at the link below, then read on to learn more about this masterclass in funk.
I’ve been with The Wild Violets for the last 18 months. Sweet Redemption is our new single and came about after a long recording session; this was the fun last few hours and started as a jam which I thought we should make into a single, which is what has now happened via our label partners The Disco Express.
PhaseMistress by Soundtoys
My favourite plug in is PhaseMistress which I used to chase the specific guitar sound that was in my head. I just
needed to carve it out of the plugin so I looped the chorus of the song and played it over and over, adjusting the
presets and parameters until I created the sound I was after. It was warm and silky but still had enough personality to cut through the mix.
Plus, this is an analog phase shifter plugin that I find is endlessly versatile, recreating dozens of classic sounds and
textures, like the MXR ‘Phase 90’. I love the warmth and silkiness of classic hardware circuits, and how faithfully
SoundToys captured that.
I recommend recording takes over and over, tweaking the plugin as you go until you’ve got the sound you like, but
what’s important is that you can hear what it sounds like in the mix along with the other tracks, not just on its own.
Contrastingly, don’t be afraid to accept and be happy with a preset, it might be exactly what you’re after.
Transgressor by Boz Digital Labs
The Transgressor is a transient shaper designed to give you detailed control over the attack and sustain of any
sound, particularly drums. The plugin is split into two sections, gain and sustain, each one with its own EQ and
master bus filter and mix knob, allowing for complete control and creativity.
On Sweet Redemption, I used the plugin on the three drum Toms. My goal was to make them cut through the drum
mix more as well as altering the tone of them. The result was a punchier, more present performance without
compromising on the depth of the toms.
I think the transgressor can be a really fun creative tool for creators to apply to their drums sounds, especially the kick and snare. The plugin can open up a world of new options and sounds for your drums and even percussion. I’d pay careful attention to the EQ and mix knob, as you might not need to process the full spectrum of a track. It might prove to be more effective to hone in on a specific frequency.
Oxide Tape Recorder by Universal Audio
I love the Oxide plugin. It is one of the best tape recorder emulators out there and I use it on all kinds of instruments,
buses, and even occasionally on the master, to add warmth, colour, saturation, the unbeatable sound of tape.
On Sweet Redemption, I particularly loved it on the bass. By driving it a little harder, the oxide brought out a fatter low end in the bass, while also gently saturating, resulting in a bigger sound that also cuts through the mix. For our sound the Oxide brings out a nostalgic nod to the past while also sounding fresh at the same time.
soothe2 by Oeksound
I used Soothe 2 as a bass sidechain to the kick which means each kick hit, with all its subtle performance differences, triggered the bass to make room in a more organic way. The result was a tighter, more musical low end.
Quick Fire Disco Tips:
#1: Get the groove, get the groove, get the groove, that way you know everyone will dance. Or just bring me in to add guitar!
#2: Be tight, don’t drag on your playing. Don’t lose the “feel”, in fact bring it to the fore.
#3: It’s all about the drums and bass, so you need the best on both. That way you won’t lose the energy as otherwise it will collapse, especially in a live setting.
#4: Melodic Basslines that are singable will go a long way in shaping the feel of a song.
#5: Write with the lyricist/vocalist in person! It makes such a big difference to mailing in wavs from a distance. It will make the singer feel comfortable and help produce a better performance.
Stream “Sweet Redemption” here.
