{"product_id":"imaginary-boyfriend-versions","title":"Imaginary Boyfriend: Versions","description":"\u003cp\u003eAre more men in your life a good thing? Kevin Kenkel has some ideas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the past years, the Brooklyn composer has built up a body of work that unleashes a tangle of modular synthesizers to map out the networks we use to connect with each other — socially, sexually, sadly, hopefully. His self-released debut album, \u003cem\u003eWill You Please Let Me Pour My Heart Out?\u003c\/em\u003e (2021) reached out to the world like a cat bathing in the sun, aching for a rub. His second album, and first for Soap Library, \u003cem\u003eBreak All the Bones in Your Heart\u003c\/em\u003e (2024), hosted guests such as Colin Self, Eve Essex, Adam Tendler — and a few ghostly samples — for a series of intimate encounters. What developed was a suite of songs that, like love itself, remain irresistible in their mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBreak All the Bones in Your Heart\u003c\/em\u003e standout “Imaginary Boyfriend (Elodie’s Haunted Memory Version)” now plays the field on Kenkel’s new EP, \u003cem\u003eImaginary Boyfriend: Versions\u003c\/em\u003e, for which he commissioned a series of remixes — and added a few of his own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally a three-way between Tendler’s aching piano, waves of distortion, and a few words from the late microtonalist Elodie Lauten, “Imaginary Boyfriend: Piano Version” strips Tendler’s performance to bare bones, with only a bit of room tone, warm as blush. The result is handsome yet lonely — a lover with nimble fingers and stamina. “Imaginary Boyfriend: Original Version” mirrors Tendler’s solo performance with one of Kenkel’s own — an offering of the seminal composition for synth. Its slow and steady analog arpeggios keep time with the kickdrum’s gentle pound — a reminder that sometimes you’ve already got what you need.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe a duo would suit you better. “Imaginary Boyfriend: Beat Detectives Remix” brings in the venerable New York pair for a heavy dub session. Here, a rustling bed of filtered drums opens the door for Kenkel’s modular hooks, with curious vocal samples making for excellent pillowtalk. Ready for self-reflection? “Imaginary Boyfriend: Dub Version” takes its time exploring the original’s solid frame, probing the harmonics, flexing the rhythm to let the ventricles pump, creating a space for the song to shiver and contract, then relax and rise again. It’s not so much a reinvention as a generous linger — an invitation to stay just a little bit longer. On the other hand, “Imaginary Boyfriend: Arcade Mode” revels in playing games. If the original version seduced you with its soft languorous sounds, this one flirts with 8-bit toxins. Game over, but give it time — a bad date eventually becomes a good story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerhaps though, this is all too intense, as simple affection is often the hardest to find. Open your eyes to “Imaginary Boyfriend: Tropical Version” — a warm suspension, sonically bathing in self-care, a moist furrow through which synth lines gradually glisten. The mix leaves long echoes like stains — afterglow made aural. In the end, what more could you want?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soap Library","offers":[{"title":"Tape","offer_id":51933762584907,"sku":"R6769-0923","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2000x2000bb_43d1a471-84b9-4153-ae94-b06341d9a142.jpg?v=1748627126","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/imaginary-boyfriend-versions","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}