Cover, Remix | Producer/multi-instrumentalist Marvel Years unveils Pink Floyd tribute Have A Cigar EP 

Posted by VMan on May 26, 2022

Shape-shifting producer and multi-instrumentalist Marvel Years has dedicated his career to redefining electronic music’s traditional genre boundaries. Melding guitar instrumentation with studio beatmaking, the Vermont-born, New York-based artist fuels his productions with soul and blues to create the raw, bass-heavy signature sound that’s landed him multiple performances at Red Rocks alongside ZHU, STS9, and Pretty Lights.

Marvel Years puts his hybrid instrumentation-production prowess on full display in his new Pink Floyd tribute EP Have A Cigar, inspired by childhood years spent listening to classic rock.

The two-track EP sees Marvel Years recontextualize an iconic record that soundtracked his adolescence – through both a collaborative cover alongside venerable musicians, as well as a self-produced remix.

The “Have A Cigar” cover showcases virtuosic guitar work from Marvel Years himself alongside sweeping vocals from trumpeter/singer Jennifer Hartswick (who has graced the stage with legends such as Herbie Hancock, Phish, and Tom Petty), emphatic drumming from Grammy-nominated drummer/producer Adam Deitch (from the band Lettuce), and lively synths from RAQ keyboardist Todd Stoops.

The cover pays careful homage to the psychedelic blues of its source material, mixing twangy guitar riffs and soulful vocal performances into a faithful adaptation of the original song.

Marvel Years’ own “Have A Cigar (Remix)” maintains the general structure of the cover but imbues its surface with a bevy of bass music elements. Bruising dubstep growls and drum patterns swirl around Hartswick’s voice and Marvel Year’s grand guitar solos, further filtering the Pink Floyd classic through a modern electronic edge.

The Have A Cigar EP allows Marvel Years to have it both ways: enamored equally by retro and futuristic aesthetics, this two-track project spotlights the artist’s production chops alongside his first musical love: the guitar.

Have A Cigar follows up this year’s Hidden Groove, Vol. IV, the latest installment in Marvel Years’ long-standing project series revolving around live loops. No stranger to the stage, Marvel Years has toured with electro-funk producer GRiZ and played at respected festivals such as Camp Bisco, Hulaween, and Electric Forest.

Marvel Years will radiate his spectral electronic soul sound across the country this summer, with performances at Knitting Factory Brooklyn and Thornville’s Secret Dreams Festival.