![Exclusive: Chris Lorenzo talks the ID that took hold of the dance/electronic scene, ‘Mami’ [Q&A]290689360 1927473417445394 4436786418948381102 N 1](https://dancingastronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/290689360_1927473417445394_4436786418948381102_n-1.jpg)
Exclusive: Chris Lorenzo talks the ID that took hold of the dance/electronic scene, ‘Mami’ [Q&A]
“Me and Mami doing drugs in the penthouse suite.”
Long before “Mami” hit digital streaming platforms, the hook to Chris Lorenzo‘s sought-after ID—which doubles as one of the dance/electronic genre’s most-talked-about IDs of 2022—permeated social channels as streamers clamored for its release. Out now via Late Checkout, “Mami” is here, surfacing as the debut single from Chris Lorenzo’s brand new record label. Featuring a vocal pattern akin to that of Chris Lorenzo and Chris Lake‘s “Chromatic” (under their Anti Up project), “Mami” sources its topline from COBRAH. In an exclusive interview with Dancing Astronaut, Lorenzo discusses his decision to work with COBRAH, the making of “Mami,” Late Checkout, and everything in between. Read the Q&A below.
How long has “Mami” been an ID, and where was it first premiered?
Chris Lorenzo: “Me and COBRAH jumped in the studio in March for two days and it just clicked. I write tracks and then road test them, and this one worked instantly when I dropped it at Beyond Wonderland, so it’s been bubbling on dance floors since March. I like to keep the records close, so I just gave it to a couple of trusted DJs and let it start to build its own buzz.”
What prompted you to start the new label and choose “Mami” as the debut single?
Chris Lorenzo: “I felt like I was in a new chapter of my career and launching a new label made sense. I can’t think of a better record that represents me as an artist right now than ‘Mami,’ and being able to launch it with COBRAH meant we could get really creative with the art and music video as well.”
How did you decide to use COBRAH’s vocals for this track?
Chris Lorenzo: “We got connected by a mutual friend. I jumped on the phone and we got on, so we set up a couple of days in the studio. As soon as she laid the vocal down, I knew it was perfect. Although we’re different artist propositions, we have the same vibe so it just worked. Sometimes it just comes together naturally in the studio and you don’t have to overthink it.”
“Mami” seems to lean in the Anti Up direction; can you comment on how much this song was influenced by the Anti Up brand of sound?
Chris Lorenzo: “I’m 50% of Anti Up, so there is always going to be common threads, but when I write Chris Lorenzo solo tracks, the process can go in several directions. ‘California Dreamin’ is different from ‘Mami,’ which is different to the remix I have coming out with Walker and Royce on Idris Muhammed next month…there is no fixed direction for a Chris Lorenzo single.”
Can you comment on any of the ensuing collaborations that you might have coming up after ‘Mami’? Are there any plans for a Chris Lorenzo, Chris Lake, and AC Slater house cut?
Chris Lorenzo: “There are no convos for a Lorenzo, Lake, and AC Slater track yet, but it doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. There’s more Anti Up music coming this year, and I already have a new Slater collaboration that debuted when we played back-to-back at EDC, which we’ll be dropping in the run up to our back-to-back at The Shrine in Los Angeles on November 25. There is still lots of music to still come for 2022 and beyond.”
Featured image: Chris Lorenzo/Instagram