Russian Futurists Enlists Outkast Producer to Help Carry the 'Weight' - Spinner

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Matthew Adam Hart was all set to release 'The Weight's on the Wheels,' his fourth album under the nameRussian Futurists, when he opted to scrap everything and start from scratch. Having self-produced his previous three full-lengths, the Canadian singer, songwriter and sampler wrangler decided his latest batch of wordy, down-and-dirty electro-pop jams could use some cleaning up. For this, Hart enlisted Michael Musmanno, a producer whose work withOutkast,Arrested DevelopmentandLilysmade him an attractive potential collaborator.

"It definitely wasn't something I ever thought I would be into or open to at all,"Hart tells Spinner."It was a combination of a good idea and someone I really liked. I had done my version {of 'The Weight's on the Wheels'} and I thought it was great. That was the version I was committed to putting out, but I rethought things. I'm not someone who changes the formula that much from album to album, but I thought maybe I could challenge myself a bit in the way it sounds, at least, and make it different from that end. As soon as it started rolling, it took on a life of its own. I was into it right away."

Released last month,"The Weight's on the Wheels"is a sing-songy synth-pop album with a shiny '90s R&B feel. It's the glossiest Futurists album yet, and Hart is so pleased with the results that he plans on working with outside producers from here on out.

"I'm way more open to it now,"he says."I'm considering the stuff I do at home now a bit more of a demo. I think I'll always from this point on be working with someone else. It's good to ask for help. The earlier stuff, I stand behind it. I like it, but some of it can be a really hard listen."

Hart refers to the production aesthetic of his earlier albums as"lo-fi, but not on purpose."Thanks to Musmanno, he says, nothing has been lost in the mix.

"I like the clarity of the newer production, the way you can still make something really full of lots of intricate sounds, but people can actually hear them,"Hart says.

Even if Hart shares production credits on future Futurists albums, he likely won't justify his plural moniker by welcoming other songwriters into the fold.

"I'm really interested in the idea of writing for other people,"Hart says."But that's the one thing I do have a singular focus on: the songwriting process. I really like doing it by myself, because I just feel like if there are too many cooks in the kitchen, it can water down an idea. Some bands are great at doing it. There's obviously a chemistry they have. But that end of it is going to remain the same."

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