Airbird & Napolian

In the early 2010s, Joel Ford, recording as Airbird, and Ian Evans, recording as Napolian, each issued solo work on Daniel Lopatin’s Software imprint. Airbird delivered two 12"s of hazy, neon dance-pop while Napolian issued an EP of fractured, blown-out synth funk. Finding considerable stylistic overlap, the pair began working together in 2013. Their opening release paired the relaxed, sunny chillwave track “In the Zone,” which spotlighted Brooklyn-based vocalist Erika Spring, with the nostalgic filtered house cut “Special.” Two years afterward, Cascine issued the duo’s first full-length, Mr. Foolish, which gathered both tracks alongside several additional propulsive, rough-cut dance pieces.