Music, Style & Culture

First On: Fort Romeau

La Roux’s keyboardist and programmer's time off may prove to be extremely fruitful.

It’s fair to say that La Roux is in no rush to record her second album. A couple of no.1 singles, plus a general glow of acclaim, have given Elly Jackson both time and space to perfect an album capable of winning critics over, rather than proving her to be something of a flash in the pan success. But as Jackson mulls over things in the role of ‘perfectionist’, the rest of her band are bound to be twiddling their thumbs. Mike Norris proves as much, having just recently unveiled his house music loving alter-ago, going by the name of Fort Romeau.

First effort, ‘Jack Rollin’, is taken from a forthcoming EP on 100% Silk. Far removed from his abrasive keyboard lines on say, ‘Bulletproof’, it showcases a cautious blend of sharp percussion and smooth, evolving synthetics. Time taken off as La Roux’s keyboardist and programmer may prove to be extremely fruitful.

Below, you can stream snippets from Norris’ ‘Kingdom’ EP, due out 6th March.