Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric trenches on Mars: located at approximately 22°N, 75°E. It is also the collaboration between UK-based multi-instrumentalists and composers Pete Sené and Martin Roberts. These two industry veterans met while touring with different bands in 2017, sharing an inherent interest in each other's live setup. With Sené's work for Everything Everything, and Roberts' career with German electronic act Schiller, it was clear immediately that a collaboration was in order. When the world stood still in May 2020, the two decided to use the time to collaborate on an EP.

The new EP will be released next month (February 25, 2022). It was written remotely and inspired by a list of artists loved by both Sené and Roberts—including Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm, and Olafur Arnalds, just to name a few. With their collective careers in live music spanning over two decades, it is only a matter of time before Nili Fossae make a debut live appearance. Their synth-heavy aesthetic leverages the power of organic electronic groove as "Into the Blue" develops slowly from a sparse, rhythmic figure into a multi-layered tapestry of sampled percussion, thumping bass drum, ambient pads, and flittering melody.

Photo credit: Toby Mitchell

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