As the old cliche goes, it takes a village to raise a child.
Early on, we didn’t have a hyper-clear vision.
We were getting the ball rolling.
Photo courtesy of BURNS
He played me some of the rough demos and we discussed ideas for the direction…. BloodPop:We worked with SOPHIE very early on.
[She was] the first collaborator of those sessions.
Those days were fun.
Photo courtesy of BURNS
Gaga sung the demos with such power and conviction, almost like a release.
BloodPop:It was probably the demo for Enigma [that set the album in motion].
It was more about her vocal performance than anything, and how she wrapped around that track.
It felt like a mix of Studio 54 and threads of all our favorite dance records.
It evoked that fleeting, euphoric feeling that comes from good dance music.
It wasnt EDM-ish [pop], but old-school, retro house.
The retro sound they had at the beginning really got me going.
I was picturing clubs in New York in the 90s when I heard it.
Johannes Klahr:Ive been helping Axwell out with production [for years].
Axwell:They were looking into house music history, and I play a little bit into that history….
The cool thing is they asked me for a reason.
They knew what they wanted.
Johannes Klahr:We just did what we thought the track was already heading toward.
Gaga has this special nerve that comes through when you put authentic dance underneath.
To enhance the album’s retro-house sounds, BURNS, Axwell, and Klahr began using vintage techniques.
BURNS:We werent going for modern EDM, we were going for classic-feeling dance music.
Its a harmonic bass, so it has a warm tone to it and fit with the vocals.
I wanted everything I was a part of to have character and a bit of grit to it.
Axwell also contributed an unfinished song he’d been toying with for six years.
Axwell:It was burning a hole on my hard drive….
It was a more chilled out, piano, acoustic thing.
I sent them the track and said, It could be a perfect fit!
They liked it, vibed on it, and Gaga added her touch.
Gaga didnt have any problem getting ahold of Elton.
BURNS:Elton was on tour in Australia during the time.
Thats my favorite part.
At the last minute, Gaga thought there should be some kind of crazy, jarring outro.
Meanwhile, BURNS resurfaced one of his earlier blueprints for what would become “Replay.”
Madison Love: We started riffing on a chorus.
We liked the title Sour Candy."
We were thinking BLACKPINK could be cool…. She put her touch on it and transformed the song intohersong.
At the end she was like, What about BLACKPINK on it?
BURNS:I’d already begun working on the “Replay” instrumental outside of the Gaga project.
It was the last song we finished for the album, I think.
So, Blood had asked if I could try some stuff with it.
I remember Blood turning to me and smiling like wed just cracked a code.
So they turned to musician Morgan Kibby a.k.a.
White Seato polishChromaticawith orchestral interludes.
There are also nods to classic scores from films likeTHX 1138andOutland.
Morgan Kibby:Chromatica III started out as an arrangement under Sine From Above.
Ultimately none of us had any idea people would embrace this small moment as such a highlight.
I met her and we started dancing.
She had this whole choreographed dance she was doing for me.
I was trying not to cry.
I was more in shock when she first played it for me that I wasnt even paying attention….
Afterward, they sent me a link and I listened to it in the car.
[I remember thinking] “this is the Gaga that I love.”
It goes to mastering, and that can change how it sounds, sonically….
But I’m blown away by what they did.
