The name David Klotz may not be immediately recognizable to music fans, but he has had a hand in creating some very memorable music for television shows like Game of Thrones and American Horror Story. His work as Music Editor on the Netfix smash hit Stranger Things ended up having the biggest impact on his music future as The Dream System.
“When I started working on Stranger Things in late 2015, I was inspired by the score I heard from the show’s composers (Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of S U R V I V E),” said Klotz. “I loved the sounds they created from their synths, so in early 2016, I began to acquire some vintage keyboards myself from eBay. The first three synths that I got my hands on were the Roland Jupiter 8, a Korg Mono/Poly, and a Roland SH-2. These are the three main synths I used to record ‘Losing All of You.'”
Today, we are excited to premiere The Dream System’s first single “Losing All of You” from the band’s upcoming 2018 album Music From The Dream System. The song is jam packed with vintage synth tones that meld together into a straightforward pop track. Klotz describes this as a moment where he felt like a musician again — as a music editor he spent most of his time using instrument plug-ins on the studio computer. “With one mouse click, you skip over all of the things that make playing a synthesizer fun and interesting,” he explains.
While synthesizers form the core of The Dream System’s unique electronic pop sound, the song is elevated to a higher plane by its ethereal female vocals. Much like Klotz’ instrumental epiphany around Stranger Things, a bit of serendipity led to his partnership with vocalist Erica Elektra. Simultaneous to purchasing vintage synthesizers, expanding his instrument collection and visualizing where the new project was headed, Klotz signed up for the dating app Tinder.
“[I] happened to be matched with someone named Erica,” he said. “We both were single parents, both musicians, and both lived in Pasadena, so I thought we might have a bit of a connection. We met for a drink, and it was a short date, but at the end of it we both suggested meeting sometime to collaborate on music.”
While the date did not result in a romantic connection, it did produce the foundation for what would become The Dream System. “I honestly thought I’d never hear from her again,” said Klotz. “But she reached out and came to my place in late 2016 to hear a few demos, including ‘Losing All of You.’ We scheduled a session, and then a month later we were hard at work collaborating. We finished ‘Losing All Of You’ in January of 2017.”
Both members of The Dream System contributed to the new song “Losing All Of You” and both played all of the synths on the song. Music from The Dream System will be out February 9, 2018 through Minty Fresh.