Paul McCartney, Dr. Dre, Chromeo, Benny Sings and The Beach Boys. Those aren’t names you’d normally associate with Circle Research. But when listening to Nik Timar and Gil Masuda’s latest album, The Precious Lo’s, you might think they’d gotten their hands on some lost studio tapes. “We were just experimenting and trying to find our voice” claims Gil. The result is a mix of classic pop vocals over hard-hitting beats.

“Most people know us as Circle Research - the beat makers and the DJ’s”, Nik explains. “That’s why we decided to go with a new name, because, obviously us being on the vocals - singing - is something no one’s ever heard”

The Precious Lo’s’ debut self-titled album follows the duo’s personal journeys in serial-dating, love and life. “Without those precious lows in life, you can’t truly enjoy the highs…It’s also an ode to the low frequencies of sound, the bass in music. The stuff you can feel ”, Gil exclaims.

Their signature blend of mid-tempo 80’s funk and off-kilter rhythms is all part of their natural evolution. Since 2002, when Circle Research dropped their first 12” single, Speak & Read, they have added over 40 releases to their discography. Their 3 full-length albums, Mulligan Stew (Do Right! Music), Who? (MPM, Germany) and Gardiner Express (Urbnet Records), move towards a future funk sound that is distinctly CR. They have lended their sound to Ivana Santilli, MC Abdominal, Elizabeth Shepherd, Maylee Todd, Apostle of Hustle, Anonymous Twist and Miles Bonny.

Now that they’ve added their own vocals to the music, Nik and Gil hope to reach a wider audience. By taking what they’ve learned in 20+ years of DJ’ing (they currently have 4 different monthly residencies), they’ve crafted a record that claims to break the barrier between underground and pop without resorting to the usual tricks on the radio. “You won’t hear any Dave Guetta-style thumping techno on our record” Nik assures us. “Just catchy songs over sick beats”. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.