Lovers Audio Mix: Dummy

April 22, 2025

Dummy are one of the most exciting and shape-shifting bands working today, effortlessly blending hypnotic rhythms, electronic textures, and live instrumentation into something entirely fresh. The Los Angeles-based group comprised of Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O'Dell, and Joe Trainor have been steadily carving out their own lane since forming in the late 2010s. They released their debut album Mandatory Enjoyment in 2021 on Trouble in Mind Records, a tightly wound and intricately arranged record that earned them critical acclaim. That was followed by 2023’s Free Energy, which leaned into more spontaneous and fluid compositions that embracing movement and sonic exploration. Most recently, Dummy shared Bubbelibrium DLC, a full-length remix album featuring reinterpretations by friends and heroes from across the musical spectrum. Beyond their inventive sound, the band’s visual identity is equally striking—thanks in large part to Emma Maatman, whose graphic design work defines the project's aesthetic world.

In our interview, we spoke with Joe, Nathan, and Alex about their upcoming tours, evolving sound, electronic influences, and the importance of making music for themselves. They also shared thoughts on remix culture, live performance, and what’s been inspiring them lately, from audio dramas to ambitious new cinema. We’re incredibly grateful to have Dummy contribute to our Lovers Audio Mix series. They were even gracious enough to share a track list, which can be found at the bottom of the interview. We've also included dates of their upcoming tours.

Lovers Audio: How are you guys? Where are you right now? What is the current state of Dummy?

Joe: We are currently preparing for four different tours we have coming up over the next seven months, just practicing practicing practicing. Along with that we are releasing “Bubbelibrium DLC” , a full album remix record featuring a bunch of friends/heroes. AND we are deep into making demos for LP3 while we have some downtime, which we are super excited about cuz it furthers the more electronic direction we were taking on Free Energy.

Nathan: I think we’re all just trying to sort out our lives before the next few months happen and we’re on the road constantly. The current state is to keep playing the Free Energy tracks out live and hone in that element of the band more. We’ve added a sampler into the live show to make it more dynamic and I’m stoked on that. Also yes…working on new music.

Lovers Audio: You’ve mentioned how much you value reinvention. If Mandatory Enjoyment felt more controlled and structured, and Free Energy was about movement and immediacy, where do you see Dummy’s sound evolving next?

Alex: Right now we’re really into hypnotic rhythms, cerebral electronic music type of stuff. We’ve been messing around a lot with “editing” guitars - splicing stuff in ableton. We’re always trying to figure out ways to infuse ideas from outside the genre confines. Trying to push towards something that feels new and distinctly us. Electronic music has always been an influence - but now, I think, we’re synthesizing that influence with more confidence than before.

Lovers Audio: Drum machines and samplers have been a big part of Dummy’s unique sound, but it’s clear you don’t rely on them and choose to anchor your sound in live performance. These instruments are traditionally more often used in hip hop and dance music, do you envision yourself ever going further into those directions?

Nathan: Definitely going to start adding more electronic elements to the live set in the next few tours. It’s been fun deciding which layers to bring from the studio to the stage with an SPD. It is a tough addition due to the varying degrees of PA’s you encounter on the road. A bassy dance beat sample most likely won’t hit like it would on some basement speakers like it does with large stage sound. Joe: The hip hop influence continues to grow in our music, as huge fans of 90’s stuff like Digable Planets, Main Source, Tribe, Wu Tang, Slum Village, Doom and Freestyle Fellowship along with current stuff like Billy Woods, Jpegmafia and Lojii. Production in hip hop really understands how adding and subtracting can create more tension, dynamics and forward motion. Hiphop still has so much room for invention and subversion, with rock music it feels somewhat stuck.

Alex: I really like the dynamic between programmed drums and live drums, so I think we’ll continue using both for Dummy. We have some new ideas for the next album; been thinking about layered percussion a lot.

Lovers Audio: Listening to Free Energy I immediately thought of bands like Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine. Are there any lesser known artists that you feel have had a major impact on your sound?

Joe: My Bloody Valentine will always be an endless well of inspiration, even with new stuff we are working on right now, they remain a big influence. There are a few artists that are really informing the path we are on right now like Scala, Transient Waves, Locust, Laika, Farben, Shuttle358 and Accelera Deck. Also, remixes are supplying us with lots of new ideas on how to approach dynamics. Like Portishead’s remix of Ride’s “Moonlight Medicine” or Kevin Shields remix of Curve’s song “Coming Up Roses”.

Lovers Audio: What are the greatest lessons you’ve learned from one another?

Joe: When we are in the studio, we've all learned to just be honest, and not take it personal, I think that's the biggest lesson.

Nathan: To echo Joe…when it comes to the songs…nothing is personal and no ideas are worth keeping in. And with touring, just learning to be more empathic and lean on our chosen family has been a rewarding lesson.

Lovers Audio: What's the most wild thing you've come across on tour?

Joe: People liking our band too be honest lol

Alex: Cubes……. Just… Cubes. Cuuuuuuubes. And truck stop katanas.

Lovers Audio: Can you cite any quotes from other musicians that have changed the way you approach music?

Nathan: “The best musicians are people who never considered themselves to be artists or musicians” from Richard James. Definitely a reminder that we’re all clueless and just doing what sounds good with what we have. I like to apply this idea to other aspects of life as well. You always have things to learn and improve on.

Joe: I mean “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz” from Lou Reed

Lovers Audio: Which of your contemporaries are you most excited to watch grow as artists?

Joe: Artists that I'm excited about are Cole Pulice, Tile, Pôt-Pot, Tara Clerkin Trio, Eat Girls, April Magazine, Lockslip, Good Flying Birds, New Issue, Mo Dotti and Current Union ™

Nathan: As far as Los Angeles…the two that come to mind that Joe did not mention are GMO and Ice Wall. Both are great friends and the projects are still in early days... enough so that we’ve been able to see slight changes while they come into their own.

Lovers Audio: What else are you excited about right now?

Joe: I'm super into audio drama’s, I feel like its combo of storytelling and sound design make for a new kind of psychedelic experience. Classics of the medium are Silt Verses, Wolf 359, We’re Alive, Archive81, Bright Sessions.

Nathan: Other than music…I’ve been playing through the latest installment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake on PC. That story has been around for a majority of my life at this point and continues to hit year after year.

Alex: I’ve been really inspired by some new movies I’ve seen. In the last few years I think there’s been some really talented filmmakers working and making hugely ambitious projects happen. Lanthimos, Eggers, Guadagnino, Ari Aster, Nathan Fielder, etc are getting big budgets to make insane stuff. Plus we have big players like Villenueve pulling off impossible feats like Dune. Then we have the legends making some of the best films of their career like Bong Joon Ho, Todd Haynes, and Paul Thomas Anderson. As a cultural institution, I think the influence of cinema is fading, but at the same time, the art is alive and well, still pushing into exciting new territory, so it’s nice to be a movie fan.

Lovers Audio: This mix you provided us with is truly a pleasure to listen to. When we asked you to do a mix we weren't sure how deeply invested in dance music you folks were, but we had our suspicions. Clearly you folks know your stuff. How was this mix recorded and what was your mindset for making it?

Nate: Thanks! The mix was done at my apartment. I recently bought a set of CDJs and an analog mixer for the living room set up. Joe and Alex came over one night and we just b2b for the evening. I’d say we had 2 hours of potential songs each and just played whatever fit the flow. I think if there was any mindset it was focused on remixes we liked or just songs that have been speaking to us recently.

Alex: I’ve been going through a ton of ambient/house/techno type of stuff lately, researching for our next record I guess. Tried to arrive at some sort of crossroads with 90’s guitar music stuff. We like to make a lot of mixes on streaming but I’m a huge mp3 collector too. Since we were doing this mix with CDJs, I wanted to pick at least some stuff that wasn’t available on streaming.

Joe: we wanted to make a super cohesive and fun sonic listening experience for anyone to enjoy.

Lovers Audio: Can we expect to see Dummy DJ performances or even Dummy curated club nights in the future?

Nate: We’re definitely interested in making more mixes as well as doing Dummy club night events. Open to any invitations by space owners or stations.

Joe: We’d definitely be down to do more DJ stuff for local fests and events, we are big music nerds, it's fun to mix things together.