DIGITAL LOVE: Let’s talk about sex, baby, and the music written to inspire more impassioned instances of it worldwide. In the weeks ahead, S.B. will welcome two huge names in electronic music who have made a name for themselves with their sensually pleasing tunes: London’s electronic-soul duo Honne, who will get the slow grinds churning at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club (1221 State St.) on Tuesday, October 11, at 9 p.m. with Ravyn Lenae, and on Sunday, October 16, at 9 p.m., L.A.’s production trio Cheat Codes will get booties shaking at Eos Lounge (500 Anacapa St.) with Matoma, Steve Void, and Baynk.
While temperamentally different and geographically distinct, both acts have, in their ways, helped to soundtrack and enhance all manner of lovemaking and dating, fields that in 2016 have never before been more inclusive — or more technologically entwined. This year, Honne released the full-length Warm On a Cold Night, full of intimate and soulful electronic pieces that at once bring to mind the rainy nights of England and the loving and cozying necessary to outlast them, whether with a longstanding partner or that evening’s smartphone catch.
When asked how the duo makes such tender music, James Hatch and Andy Clutterbuck said they look to the greats like Motown and Michael Jackson to inform their musical romancing. With both members in committed relationships, a lot of the source material comes firsthand, music born of love instead of a fishnet for more. “We want our music to be respectful for both sexes,” Hatch said, calling their music a “celebration of the great things that love and relationships and sex can bring.”