Frank Ocean Was Still Working On Endless 3 Weeks Ago

Frank Ocean Was Still Working On Endless 3 Weeks Ago

If you’ve heard Frank Ocean’s new visual album Endless, you’ve noticed the album begins with an electronic track called “Device Control” by Wolfgang Tillmans and ends an extended version of the same song. Tillmans, a German photographer who shot a portrait of Ocean wearing gear from his never-launched web store last year, took to Instagram today to explain how his song — a technology commentary that namechecks Apple, Sony, and Samsung — ended up on Ocean’s project. Believe it or not, Ocean only heard “Device Control” three weeks ago! Tillmans explains:

Three weeks ago I showed him a few songs, which I had written and produced for myself, and he replied ‘Device Control is brilliant. Love. Can I sample it for the intro of my album?’ I agreed and to my excited surprise this morning he didn’t just sample it. He released my complete original track as the end of this amazing album.

So I guess this one was coming together up until the last minute a la The Life Of Pablo, and Ocean wasn’t just sitting on a finished product for more than a year like the Chromatics have allegedly been doing with Dear Tommy. Like, this whole exchange with Tillmans was happening only a few days before Ocean launched the carpentry livestream that later turned out to be the visual component of Endless. Anyway, while you continue to wait for whatever Boys Don’t Cry is called now, you can read Tillmans’ full Instagram post below.

Enormously proud and happy that Frank Ocean did include my (yet unreleased) track ‘Device Control’ as intro and as a full length ending of his ‘Endless’ album! We were in touch about the intro, but I wouldn’t believe it until it happened. Three weeks ago I showed him a few songs, which I had written and produced for myself, and he replied 'Device Control is brilliant. Love. Can I sample it for the intro of my album?' I agreed and to my excited surprise this morning he didn't just sample it. He released my complete original track as the end of this amazing album. So now it's out – and in full length.. Below are the complete production credits. Thank you everyone involved! The song is on the forthcoming Wolfgang Tillmans ‘Device Control EP’ (Digital release date tomorrow) featuring also two addictive remixes by Berlin’s Daniel Wang & J.E.E.P. and one by US legends Salem, all of ‘Make It Up As You Go Along’ (The original is out now on vinyl and digital and Spotify – 'Wolfgang Tillmans') and a new vocal piece of mine in two versions called ‘Angered Son’. We will release the new EP digitally in the very next few days. Vinyl release will be Sept 16 as originally planned. Fragile003 on Fragile. Distributed worldwide by WordandSound. Wolfgang Tillmans – 'Device Control' Vocals, lyrics, melody by Wolfgang Tillmans Keyboards, harmonies, arrangement and drum programming by Tim Knapp at Trixx Studios, Berlin Intro: all instruments and production by Kyle Combs, New York Live drums by Rosie Slater recorded at Studio G, Brooklyn Additonal arrangement by Kyle Combs, Jay Pluck and Wolfgang Tillmans iPhone voice recording at Keithstrasse, Berlin and book binding machinery recording at Grafica Maiaduoro, Porto by Wolfgang Tillmans Mixed by Alexis Berthelot at Studio G, Brooklyn Mastered by Klaus Knapp at Trixx Studios, Berlin Written and produced by Wolfgang Tillmans, 2016 #frankocean #devicecontrol #timknapp #kylecombs #alexisberthelot #rosieslater #klausknapp #danielwang #salem #j.e.e.p. #jaypluck #wolfgangtillmans #makeitupasyougoalong #angeredson #betweenbridges #endless #blonde #boysdon'tcry #fantasticman #fragile #fragilelabel #fragile003

A photo posted by Wolfgang Tillmans (@wolfgang_tillmans) on

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