Arms and Sleepers
Arms and Sleepers are an American indie electronic duo consisting of Max Lewis and Mirza Ramic. Their lush, evocative compositions often contain slow, crunchy breakbeats, atmospheric guitars, delicate piano melodies, and soft glitches. While much of their material is instrumental, they have incorporated vocals on occasion, particularly on the 2009 full-length Matador and 2017's hip-hop-leaning Life Is Everywhere. The pair resist easy categorization, but their work can be likened to trip-hop, the calmer side of post-rock, and the cinematic side of ambient music.
Lewis and Ramic formed Arms and Sleepers in Boston in 2006 after their previous band, Maine-based post-rock group the List Exists, split up after three years. They made their recorded debut with Bliss Was It in That Dawn to Be Alive, an EP released by New Jersey-based Fake Chapter Records. Several releases followed in 2007, including the EPs Lautlos and Arms and Sleepers, as well as the full-lengths Cinématique and Black Paris 86 (the duo's proper debut album, issued by Expect Candy Records on CD and Ericrock on vinyl). Following the 2009 EP The Motorist, the duo released second album Matador, their most vocal-based work to date. From the Inland Sea, a split EP with the American Dollar, appeared at the end of the year. Following limited releases of Matador B-sides and remixes, the pair released the full-lengths Nostalgia for the Absolute and The Organ Hearts in 2011, as well as the A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama EP.
In 2012, Arms and Sleepers went on hiatus. They returned in 2014 with the single "Hurry Slowly," which appeared on the full-length Swim Team, an album that emphasized syrupy beats and manipulated vocal samples more than their past work. The EPs Force Majeure and AAS X SG (a split release with Sun Glitters) appeared in 2015, with Miami, Tiger Tempo, and Swim Team Remixed following in 2016. The duo also collaborated with rapper Serengeti on a single titled "Hollow Body Hold." The song appeared on the 2017 full-length Life Is Everywhere, which also featured collaborations with MC Airøspace. The album marked the beginning of a particularly prolific period for Arms and Sleepers, as they followed with another two full-length records, 2018's Find the Right Place and 2020's Safe Area Earth, the latter of which leaned further into their ambient side.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Apex
Arms and Sleepers, Sun Glitters
Dance - Released by DXFXWXU Collective on 18 Aug 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Belong
Electronic - Released by Mellotron Records, a division of Ameritz Music Ltd. on 29 Sep 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Tomorrow Brings
Trip Hop - Released by Pelagic Records on 1 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Memory Loops
Ambient - Released by {int}erpret null on 31 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Safe Area Earth
Trip Hop - Released by Future Archive Recordings on 17 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Organ Hearts
Dance - Released by Arms and Sleepers on 13 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Matador (10th Anniversary Edition)
Trip Hop - Released by Future Archive Recordings on 17 Nov 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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former kingdoms
Chill-out - Released by Achillea Music on 10 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
C'était un rendez-vous
Alternative & Indie - Released by Fake Chapter Records on 29 Oct 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corpus Dei
Ambient - Released by Future Archive Recordings on 4 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Find the Right Place
Electronic - Released by Pelagic Records on 13 Apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swim Team (5th Anniversary Edition)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Future Archive Recordings on 28 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baby / Killshot
Arms and Sleepers, Richard Houghten
Dance - Released by DXFXWXU Collective on 21 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Paris 86 (15th Anniversary Edition)
Dance - Released by Arms and Sleepers on 23 Nov 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Album Bonus Tracks, 2006-2021
Dance - Released by DXFXWXU Collective on 18 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Black Paris 86
Dance - Released by Arms and Sleepers on 23 Nov 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Life Is Everywhere (Instrumentals)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Arms and Sleepers on 17 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Parallel Dreaming
Arms and Sleepers, Richard Houghten
Dance - Released by DXFXWXU Collective on 21 Jul 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo