Daiana Feuer on February 24th, 2016

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Blake Robin has explored every avenue of music-making in some form under the Luxxury (and before that Baron von Luxxury) moniker. His 2012 album “The Last Seduction” was released by Manimal Vinyl, with songs dedicated to his friends, artists Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan, who took their own lives in 2007, leaving a mysterious tangle of conspiracies behind.

The following year, Robin embarked on some unofficial remixes he called “Luxxury Edits” using only original multi-track stems from classic songs by The Eagles, Blondie, Bee Gees, The Doors, David Bowie, Duran Duran (who later invited Robin to make an official remix), and others. The Eagles got mad, but that brought Robin global attention, in addition to some legal kerfuffle.

After finding a music collaborator in Billy Caruso (of Manimal bands now laid to rest, Laco$te and Corridor), Robin decided it was time to write new original songs. They’re debuting the tunes tonight at Teragram Ballroom (opening for Escort), with a full-length album in the works. Check out the first single, “Take It Slow,” and its video, which features Robin and Caruso and their beautiful hair spending a day in the life of a married couple.

||| Watch: “Take It Easy”

What inspired the music video concept?

Blake Robin: I was sitting at Lamill with the director Eli Green eating a breakfast sandwich (which by the way is delicious) and talking about ideas for the video. I mentioned the song stemmed from an argument I’d had with a loved one, and it had gotten to the point where “words aren’t working/we both know.” So I’d been ruminating on the idea that ultimately things get resolved when people give each other space, and that time heals all wounds. So Eli took that and ran with it, and came up with the idea of flashing forward 30 years into a marriage, where the pace is slower, and there can be sort of a benign silence that reigns supreme.

Did you play the song for the actors while they ate their pancakes?

Yes, many times! I’m sure they enjoyed it the first 19 or 20, perhaps not so much after that.

How did the collaboration between you and Billy Caruso come about?

I met Billy via Paul Beahan at Manimal Records, who put out my last album (2012’s “The Last Seduction,” a one-time-only release under the name Baron Von Luxxury), and has become a really great friend. One night Paul and I went to a really depressing strip bar downtown and Billy ended up meeting us there. It was awful and made us all feel like terrible men, and we pretty much cowered in the corner and left before our drinks were finished.

After that I ran into Billy a few times out and about, and I’d probably spoken all of three or four sentences in total with him when in January 2014 I invited him to come over to my studio and talk about my next album. After working pretty much alone on all my music to date I was really wanting to collaborate with someone, and for whatever reason I had a good vibe about Billy. It turns out we immediately connected in terms of musical taste, and after spending a few hours vibing out to a lot of mid-to-late 1970s smooth disco and funk we decided to just jump in and start writing together.

At first the mission statement for the new sonic direction was “prog disco;” The instruments had to exist in 1978 (hence all the Rhodes, bass guitar, etc.), and there were a lot of complex chord changes and fancy arrangements. But a few songs in, my friend Josh aka Goldroom (who is executive-producing the album we’re working on) convinced me that the songs should be simpler, more in-line with one of the “Luxxury edits” I’d been doing, and which had started to meet some success. So we literally ripped open the songs and split them in two. Indeed, the first two singles “Take It Slow” and “Hold On” used to be a single song! “Hold On” was the intro, verse and prechorus; and “Take It Slow” was the chorus. Fun fact.

Are you still dealing with any issues from the remixes you put out, or has that finally settled?

It’s been settled. I’m not allowed to talk publicly about the settlement, but I will say I was very lucky, and the Warner folks were actually pretty cool.

It’s been several years since you played with a full live band. Are you excited?

Excited and nervous, though I got lucky and was able to cobble together a pretty killer band on pretty short notice for this show. It’s Zach Robinson (who produces amazing ’80s synthpop as D/A/D) on guitar and Sam KS on drums, along with Billy on bass and me singing, synthing and manning the machines. We’ve been rehearsing for all of eight days and it’s sounding fucking killer.

Does your set include some older Luxxury tunes or all new?

All new. Eight new songs. OMG. Actually I was up all night finishing lyrics to one of the songs, and the gig is in 24 hours! I’m stoked for the gig, and I sincerely hope I remember all the words.

You mentioned there’s a full album in the works?

Yes, tentatively titled “How To Be Good”; but maybe it will be called “Is It OK.” A second single and video, “Hold On,” is coming soon on Deep&Disco; and then a 3rd single called “Breathe” will be coming out on Eskimo in May. Hoping to put out the full-length by the end of the year; DFA, if you’re listening, call me (makes hand-as-phone gesture)!

||| Live: Luxxury performs tonight at Teragram Ballroom.

||| Previously: Luxxury’s edits