Joe Goddard & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: The Tale of Two 'Neptunes'

The intrepid modular composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Hot Chip's Joe Goddard have joined forces on their mesmerizing collaborative Neptunes EP. For Smith and Goddard, what started as an e-mail chain between modular synth enthusiasts has blossomed into a musical bond and friendship that has only strengthened and evolved with time.

The two electronic music powerhouses started remixing each other's tracks in 2017. Joe Goddard cooked up a dazzling dance floor optimized version of Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's "An Intention" off her album The Kid, and she returned the favor with a musing remix of Goddard's "Truth Is Light" — taken from his Electric Lines LP which dropped that same year.

Fast-forward to this year, Joe Goddard started on a project he titled "Neptunes," which he named with Pharrell and Chad Hugo's visionary hip-hop group in mind, hoping to emulate their assertive rhythms. He sent the project to Smith, curious to see how her free-flowing modular chops would fare over the arrangement. Upon seeing the title "Neptunes," Smith immediately considers the planet, keeping the cosmos in mind as she layers her interstellar frequencies atop the beat. The result? A low-slung, viscous, and sweeping banger with each artist's sonic signatures interlocking in an awe-inspiring dance floor communion.

In addition to the collaborative track, their EP includes two solo pieces along with a remix exchange. This combination leaves listeners wanting more from this dynamic duo while providing plenty for both headphone enthusiasts and clubgoers to enjoy in the foreseeable future. 

Following the release of the EP, we caught up with Joe Goddard and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith for a rapid-fire interview to get a bit more insight into their pure and potent collaboration.

We first saw both of your names on a track together when Joe here created a stunning remix of your track “An Intention” back in 2017. How was it that the two of you first connected?

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: Joe and I had met through a synthesis email group of musicians who love modular synthesizers. We first started remixing each other's music and had always wanted to collaborate on a song together.

From a songwriting perspective, what about Kaitlyn’s sound and modular approach to live performance/production captures your attention and imagination?

Joe Goddard: I just think Kaitlyn is a great composer and synthesist. I love her compositions and thought that a collaboration would be an interesting proposition.

How did the two of you land on the name “Neptunes” for the EP and the title track?

Joe Goddard: I named a demo I made "Neptunes" because I wanted the drums to have the feel of a Neptunes production. Kaitlyn understood the title to be a reference to the planet Neptune, which I thought was great.

What words and thoughts come to mind when you listen to Joe’s remix of your track “Around You."

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: I love that Joe created a lot of space for each element to have a moment and I love how it sounds in a club.

And for you Joe, the same question — what are your thoughts on Kaitlyn’s remix of “Rapid Fire” and how did you feel when you first heard the final product?

Joe Goddard: Great. I like the freeness of Kaitlyn’s approach — it is not encumbered but the normal rules of dance music.

What are two things you’ve learned from one another as a result of being in the studio together and putting together this stellar collaboration?

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: I have always been a fan of Joe’s beats and his ability to create flows that feel so good in the club. His ability to create huge sounds of rhythm!

Joe Goddard: I learned to open up my imagination a little more and make space for more unusual textures in club music.

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Joe Goddard & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's Neptunes EP is out now via Smugglers Way. Buy it on Beatport.