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Category:

Music Interviews

Joe Terror & Hollie Joyce
Music InterviewsMusic News

Joe Terror & Hollie Joyce

by the partae June 16, 2021
written by the partae

Where are you currently based?

 Hollie – I live between two places – Northcote and Ocean Grove, Victoria. Basically, part time city, part time coast life.
Joe- I am based in Brunswick, Victoria. I made the move to Melbourne almost five years ago from rural NSW.

How did you first start playing music?

Joe – I was always fixated on music from a very young age. I’d set up pretend microphones and make my family gather around for living room concerts, singing along to CD’s. When I got my first guitar, I was about eight years old. I’d lock myself in rooms and just listen to notes ring out for hours.

At the age of thirteen I began teaching myself songs on the guitar and jamming with a friend from high school, he was becoming a great guitarist, so in order to start our band I scored a drum kit scholarship at the Clarence Valley Conservatorium to be able to afford lessons and got my chops up on the kit.

Hollie – Yeh! I was pretty similar actually, I grew up in a family of performers so I was always surrounded by people performing music, dancing etc, basically a lot of big personalities. I started learning the piano with my Nanna, but quickly became uninterested in playing covers and wanted to write songs of my own. I would have books and books of little poems with this monophonic 80’s Casio that only played one note at a time but it had a recording function so I would layer parts for hours over the best/worst beats you’ve ever heard. I was probably 13 when I started having a crack at writing songs on guitar, dad bought me an SG shaped black Ibanez electric guitar but I never played it because I had my eye on his 70’s acoustic guitar that I still play to this day.

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?

Joe – As you know Melbourne has just endured it’s fourth lockdown. This time around I have personally lost one The Stained Daisies show, of which we rehearsed for months in advance training extra band members, one Tug show on the 12th and we are still holding our breaths about whether we will be able to do the launch for DEA on the 18th of June.

Covid sucks.

Hollie – Thank goodness for the daily quiz.

Your new single ‘Dea’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

Joe – I was at the back end of writing my last album “Songs to Track Down To”, a very mellow bunch of folk songs, when I decided to start writing and recording something that completely polarised what I was pushing out at the time. I began working on the “Queen of Smiles, Blues & the Devil” concept. I had planned that it was to be a straight up rock album with the same kind of poetic value that the previous album had, only yelling it this time. So I guess the sound and energy I was pushing in Dea was a product of me somewhat challenging myself to embrace an essence of anger whilst I worked on something very peaceful.

How did you approach the song writing process and how did you come to work together?

Joe – I approached Hollie online with the instrumental version of the track and asked if she would like to contribute some kind of vocal layering to flesh out the groove. Once she had done that we decided it wasn’t finished and Hollie agreed to throw some words at it. She was given the album name “Queen of Smiles, Blues & the Devil” and came back with what is now “DEA”.

Hollie – I remember constantly sending you updated versions of little clips being like, “do you like this?” “what about THIS?” until I realised you just wanted me to do my thing haha.

Joe, how was the experience working with Hollie?

Joe – Working with Hollie was everything you’d hope for in a collaboration. It was a great mix of fun and serious as we dipped into each other’s worlds for a moment.

Hollie, how was the experience working with Joe?

Hollie – Same! Working with Joe was just so easy considering we didn’t really know each other before this. I agree, a healthy amount of being ridiculous and then working hard.

Where and when did you record/produce master and who with?

Joe – The Instruments were all recorded and mixed by myself at my home studio in Brunswick. All of Hollie’s parts were recorded and mixed by Hollie on top of the instrumental track. It was then mastered by Aidan Bateman.

How did you approach the recording process?

Joe – My zoom R24 is my writing tool. I’ll have a riff or a groove and just keep adding layers of instruments into the recording device, and that is the product you hear. That’s how Joe Terror music has always worked.

Hollie – I basically imported the track Joe sent me into logic and just wrote everything directly in producing and mixing as I went along.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Joe – This week I have been listening to “Still Sad”, a playlist by Mikey Young & Anthology records, a follow up to the 2019 “Sad About The Times”. It’s brilliant. Also, Big Thief Live at Bunker Studio, Pig Lib by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Hurtsville by Jack Ladder and a heap of Sarah Mary Chadwick.

Hollie – I’ve been getting stuck into the album “On” by Altin Gün, Pete Drake, but mostly the song “forever”, The Kevin Fingier Collective and Imarhan.

What do you like to do away from music?

Joe – I enjoy working in the country and being in the bush. I have also recently taken a liking to bartending. It can be a fun social environment and somewhat keeps me out of trouble.

Hollie – I’m usually chipping away at something, whether it’s in the garden, or writing something, painting, drawing, cooking etc. I also tend to plant my feet either in the dirt or by the water.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?

Joe – I’ll be trying to tackle as many Joe Terror shows as I can in the next couple of months along with another few singles from the album. For the majority of September, I will be back in the country looking after a bunch of goats and recording some new stuff. Most of October I’ll be touring the East Coast with The Stained Daisies. Then maybe in November I can finally have the full album out and see out the year with Joe Terror shows.

Favourite food and place to hang out?

Joe – Space food sticks. On the moon.

Hollie – Wait woah, I want to be on the moon too so naturally I’ll also need some space food sticks, if you have any.

Joe Terror IG HERE

​Hollie Joyce IG HERE

Spotify link HERE

June 16, 2021 0 comments
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FFLORA
Music InterviewsMusic News

FFLORA

by the partae June 10, 2021
written by the partae

Hey Felipe, thanks for taking the time to speak with us! How are you?

I’m fine, even with this pandemic I try to remain calm, positive and focus on my productions, it’s a pleasure to talk to you.

Where are you in the world right now?

I’m in Presidente Venceslau, the city where I was born in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil

How has the last year been for you in lockdown? Have you been able to take any positives from it?

It’s been a time full of ups and downs, in many moments it’s very difficult because I’m not sure when or how the return will be, but whenever is possible I always try to keep positive thinking, and like it or not, I ended up having more time to spend with my family and myself, I have used this creative leisure to inspire me even more in the productions that are going full steam.

You’re one half of the acclaimed duo Dashdot. What was your journey like to become a successful producer and DJ?

It’s been an amazing journey, where I collect memories and beats from the most different places and tracks. I’ve made countless friends, met wonderful people and had the pleasure of producing some of the soundtracks that are part of many people’s lives.

What is your favorite memory as Dashdot?

It’s hard to choose a particular memory, but I’ve always enjoyed the international tours, we’ve had the chance to play around Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America 

What made you want to start your solo project FFLORA?

I was at a time in my life looking for more independence and a slightly more specific sound line, I already had the idea of ​​creating a parallel project, and this whole pandemic ended up accelerating this idea.

What was the inspiration behind the new track on Ame Records?

There were some incredible inspirational vibes that kicked in from time to time during these lockdown moments, and Colors is definitely one of my favorite quarantine productions. I hope that I can sign other tracks on Ame, a brand that I identify a lot with.

How was it making with no chance to play it out or have any crowd interaction?

This is one of the biggest differences on my production process, I’d always tested my songs countless times before releasing the final version. However, I had to adapt and somehow teleport myself into the minds of different people in the crowd pretending to be listening to the track. 

What would be your dream first gig back?

To tell you the through, I just want to be able to play again. Of course there are some special places and festivals, Like Ame Club itself, Warung, Green Valley, Lollapalooza, Rock In Rio and etc… But what I really want at this moment is to be able to play, doesn’t matter where.

What’s the thing your most excited about when we can return to live shows?

I’m looking forward to testing my quarantine productions, there’s a lot of music that I really believe in!
I’ve probably made more that 50 tracks these last months. 

Have you discovered any records in lockdown that you’re dying to play out?

I don’t think there’s a specific track, but there’s a lot of good stuff that was produced in quarantine, whether from Brazil or abroad.

What else have you got coming up?

I have a lot of news ahead of me, from new releases and lives sets and the development of an own label.

https://www.beatport.com/release/colors-feat-dcw-extended/3396530

https://www.instagram.com/fflora_music

June 10, 2021 0 comments
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LUCY PARLE Wins Teen category award at International Songwriting Competition Signs recording deal with Double Drummer New single 'Back Up' out now!
Music InterviewsMusic News

Lucy Parle

by the partae June 10, 2021
written by the partae

Where are you currently based?

 

I’m currently based on the Central Coast NSW Australia.

 

How did you first start playing music?

 

I first started singing lessons when I was 8 years old and then I started learning the guitar and piano when I was around 10.

 

What’s been happening recently?

 

I have recently won the Teen Category in the International Songwriting Competition for 2020 for my latest single ‘Back Up’. It has been the coolest experience winning this category because it has really boosted my confidence as an artist.

 

You’ve just released your new single ‘Back Up’ via Double Drummer, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

 

When I wrote this song I was influenced by artists like Taylor Swift and Julia Michaels. But I also took in influences from the song ‘Every Rose Has It’s Thorn’ by Poison because I love that songs production and it’s songwriting style.

 

How did you go about writing Back Up?

 

I wrote Back Up pretty quickly because it is about a personal experience I went through so the song was always all about the lyrics so when I was writing it I really focused on what I wanted to say and interesting ways to communicate what I was going through. 

 

Where and when did you record/produce/maser and who with?

 

I recorded Back Up with the best producer in the world Michael Carpenter and I recorded it at Love Hz Studios.

 

How did you approach the recording process?

 

Michael and I always approach recording with a scale. On one end of the scale is organic/ country and on the other end is electronic/ pop. I always wanted this song to be a little rocky but still organic and so I gave him some reference tracks and we went from there.

 

You’ve recently won the ISC TEEN Competition, how has this experience been and how have things change since?

 

Winning the ISC really pushed us to release Back Up which has been the coolest experience. It has also given me so much added confidence as a songwriter and artist which I treasure because sometimes being an artist can get overwhelming.

 

How do you juggle music with school?

 

I don’t! Haha just kidding. I definitely put music first because it’s what I want to do with my life so I think I balance it by trying to schedule when I’m going to get school work done so I don’t fall behind and I work on music the rest of the time.

 

Who are you listening to at the moment and who influences your sound?

 

I am currently listening to Julia Michaels’ most recent album as well as Delta Goodrem’s new album. I also love Emily Weisband, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. 

 

What do you like to do away from music?

 

Most people who know me will know that when I’m not working on music I’m with my fur babies. I love my cats and my puppy and spending time with them is one of my favourite things in the world.

 

Does songwriting come easy?

 

For me, music tends to come in ebbs and flows. I often write a bunch for songs in the space of 2 months and then after that I won’t be able to write anything I like for the next 2 months. The trick is to not put pressure on yourself because that causes blocks. I’ve learnt that I can’t force myself to write and that when I’m in the right head space I am able to write so many songs that I really like. 

 

Do you have to find a quiet space and make an appointment with yourself to write or does inspiration come any time /anywhere?

 

I will often get inspiration from something someone has said or in dreams and other experiences and I will just write the idea in my notes on my phone. But to actually write a song I definitely need a quiet space to go. For me, I write at my piano in my bedroom because that’s what inspires me.

 

What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?

 

For the rest of 2021 I plan on continuing to release singles in the lead up to my debut album!

 

Favourite food and place to hangout?

 

Mexican… love it! Also Grill’d. My favourite place to hangout would have to be either at home or somewhere I feel like I can be myself.

Follow Lucy Parle

https://www.facebook.com/lucyparlemusic

June 10, 2021 0 comments
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Dive Index
Music InterviewsMusic News

Dive Index

by the partae June 3, 2021
written by the partae
Refolded: Waving At Airplanes Remixes is the sixth full-length album from electronic composer/producer Will Thomas’ collaborative Dive Index project. The original LP was received with critical acclaim last Spring; it’s now been revisited by Will over lockdown, delivering an altogether darker, more atmospheric sound. 
 
Out now on Neutral Music with remixes from Mercury Prize-winning producer Mike Lindsay and Plumbline, and fresh reworks of the originals, this is a brilliant, thought-provoking LP that makes for addictive listening.

Where are you currently based? 

Hey there, I’ve been back and forth between New York City and Los Angeles for many years and have finally settled permanently on the west coast. Due to some unforeseen circumstances during the pandemic, I moved my studio to Ojai – about 90 minutes north of LA.  It’s a beautiful area. Very peaceful.

How does the sound of your new album Refolded – Waving at Airplanes Remixes differ from the original Waving At Airplanes album?

For the original album, I set up parameters to use specific sound sources which were a modular synth, piano and some acoustic guitar.  I wanted the tracks to have a continuous, sonic thread beyond the vocals of Natalie Walker and Merz. For the new remixes, we had the freedom to experiment with different musical styles so, while the originals are somewhat subdued, the remixes are more immediate, beat-heavy, and venture into some darker territory. 

What initially inspired you to remix the album?

The pandemic put a halt on in-person collaborations so I thought a great project would be to revisit the songs from Waving At Airplanes and come up with some new interpretations. Normally, I would farm out the remixes to other producers, but I was playing around with the vocal tracks and was really keen on doing some myself.  I asked Mike Lindsay if he wanted to remix one of the songs and he was up for it so I was thrilled to have him involved. 

How did the collaboration between Natalie Walker and Merz come about, and how do the two feature on the album?

I worked with both Natalie and Merz way back on the Dive Index album, Mid/Air which was a wonderful collaboration.  They both are phenomenal talents and I was so honored to work with them again on Waving At Airplanes.  I sent them both a handful of demos and they picked multiple songs so the album ended up being just the two of them. We alternated the track order – Natalie, then Merz and so on – which created a nice dialog between their voices.  As far as the remix album, it really came down to which vocals were ‘remix-able’, if that makes sense. And some worked better than others so the selections came together organically. 

Can you tell us a bit about the original production of the EP? 

Since I used mostly modular synth, piano and acoustic guitar on the original versions, I made a conscious decision not to use those instruments at all for the remixes. This was to make sure there was a clear distinction of sound sources used for each version.  When I was packing up my studio to move, I rediscovered a few pieces of gear that I haven’t used in quite a while. Mostly analog synths from the 80s like a Roland JX3P and an Oberheim Xpander.  It was great to get reacquainted with these old friends. 

What’s the creative process like behind a Dive Index release, and how does this differ from your other projects such as Plumbline?

Plumbline is primarily an instrumental project and Dive Index is vocal oriented with somewhat traditional song structures so that’s the main difference between the two. Working on Plumbline material is more of a solo affair, except when working with Roger Eno. And since I know the Dive Index songs will ultimately have a vocal track, I have to approach those songs with that in mind and leave room for the voice within the sonic space. 

What are your favourite tracks from the new album, and why?

Oh geez, that’s like asking a parent which kid they like best.  I know this isn’t fair, but I truly like each one for different reasons. And the ones that I felt weren’t working, didn’t make the cut.  Now that said, Mike Lindsay’s remix of ‘She’s Exploding’ is certainly a stand out for me simply because Mike took it to a place that I wouldn’t normally go. And it’s wonderful to get lost in all of his sounds. 

What does the rest of 2021 hold for Dive Index?

I hope we can do some shows in the fall. Nothing is booked at the moment but thankfully things are opening up so live music is alive and well.  Finally!  

Buy Now here On Bandcamp

https://www.facebook.com/diveindex/

https://www.instagram.com/diveindex/

https://twitter.com/diveindex

 

June 3, 2021 0 comments
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Music InterviewsMusic News

Harkness Releases ‘The Occasion’

by the partae June 2, 2021
written by the partae

Today, Harkness will release “The Occasion” – a completely enigmatic tune that showcases the talents of what some people call the art-rock Daft Punk of Canada!

“Listening to Harkness I was completely blown away by his grasp of vocal harmony and arranging. His song writing and unique production is some of the best I’ve heard in years.”  – Roger Manning (Beck/Jellyfish/TLQ)

Using a pallet of instruments as diverse as tuba and steel drums, all radiating over upbeat grooves – his sound utilizes colorful cascading vocal harmonies, electric guitars and incredible arrangements.  Musically speaking he sings, plays guitar, bass, piano and drums and also produces everything himself. He counts Prince and Todd Rundgren, both of whom also worked this way, as major inspirations. Listening to Harkness though, it is more likely that Soft Bulletin era Flaming Lips, Tame Impala and Jellyfish will come to mind.

LISTEN/PLAY

harknessmusic.com
instagram.com/harknessmfa
June 2, 2021 0 comments
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McDermott & North
Music InterviewsMusic News

McDermott & North

by the partae June 2, 2021
written by the partae

Georgia’ for those who might be coming to the band for the first time – how do you think this song represents the central core of the McDermott & North sound?

I would say that the sound of ‘Georgia’ is more of a change of pace with our sound. It’s a song you could slow dance to. It’s intimate, slow and romantic.

Can you tell us a bit about how the genesis of the song has matched the final result?

When we first wrote the song it was much slower and on an acoustic guitar. It has definitely changed a lot since the original version, hopefully for the best.

What significance does this song in particular hold for you as a songwriter now?

This song is significant because it was the beginning of a run of Bluesy-sounding songs. After writing Georgia, we went on to write a bunch of songs with the same Blues rhythm and feel.

As an indicator of what we’re still to hear from McDermott & North – what makes ‘Georgia’ such strong single to lead into this new chapter with?

It’s a strong single for the new chapter because it’s a taste of something different. We’re trying to keep our sound as diverse as possible through different types of songs.

What was 2020 like for the two of you creatively? How did you find navigating that last year as a duo?

We spent a lot of time in our van busking around Australia, going to small country towns, so we were fortunate to spend a lot of time playing in front of people even if that was just busking. We also spent a lot of time writing while in lockdown, which is always nice.

Had you been listening to any particular artist / band who has influenced you throughout the last year?

Not too many new artists to be honest, besides Phoebe Bridgers. We have been listening to a lot of her stuff. Her lyrics are pretty potent while also being tongue in cheek, it’s a pretty effective mix I feel. We constantly find ourselves drawing from the 60/70s and still finding some brilliant bands we haven’t heard before. 

What do you think you learned about yourself as a songwriter and about one another as a group?

The importance of perseverance as an artist! It has been inspiring to watch the industry quickly adapt to the unprecedented state of the world during the pandemic, as well as the rebirth of the local music scene and gigs.

What’s exciting you about new music moving forward into 2021?

I think what we’re most excited about is getting out there and playing some live gigs around the country, playing our music to new audiences. As for new music, we have a few tunes up our sleeves, and we’re going into the studio with some exciting people too! We’re truly excited to share it all with you when it’s done, we think it’s going to be a great year. 

Website | Facebook| Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Triple J Unearthed

June 2, 2021 0 comments
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PERRY P
Music InterviewsMusic News

PERRY P

by the partae June 2, 2021
written by the partae

When and how did you first get into making music? 

I first got into rapping at 7 years old, my sister was the one who convinced me to do it. Music had been around my family since I can remember so when it came to making it, it was second nature, it helped that I used to mimic all the rappers I saw on tv, that’s where I got my style and swag from and copied everything they did. Otherwise when it came to writing and recording my sister played a big part in that. 

How would you describe your music style to someone who doesn’t know You? 

I would say my style is very melodic and energetic with most songs, I use auto tune in ways to captivate and maintain a particular mood whether it’s dark or uptempo. A lot of the tracks I’ve been recording today just seem to be very catchy and easy to remember, something that goes a long way especially when made simple. In other ways my sound is very out there, I like to experiment with everything. 

The best way I can describe it is, imagine yourself in a space shuttle swerving through meteors at light speed, but everything you hear sounds like an echo and far away, even if it’s right next to your ear. At the same time your booster is powered by a 24 inch chrome spinner with a sub attached to it powered by koolaid, that’s me, that’s Perry P. 

Your new single ‘On The Low’ comes out on the 4th of June, what does the song mean to you? 

To me it’s a realisation that the life I wanna live is only a step away, that all the work being put in will soon pay off in the biggest ways. Throughout a lot of my songs, this track in particular I manifest and speak all of the things I want to happen in life into existence. 

The title ‘On The Low’ represents the quiet grind I’ve been on to make things happen, me having my head down trying to piece things together, and that I won’t allow any outside thoughts and opinions to enter my inner matrix on my way up. 

Another good example of this is the cover art, a young me with a crown on my head, meaning whatever successes happen, it was meant to. Shoutout to Ish for coming through with the sketch. . 

What’s the first song you remember liking? 

The first song I remember liking is Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa. There are plenty that I liked before that but this particular track hit me in a different way. I was around 7 or 8 when I first came across it, to this day it remains my favourite song of all time. 

Who are your biggest influences? 

I could go on and on if I was to really name all of my musical influences but growing up I was listening to every genre there was, not just hip hop, but in this case the ones that

influence my music the most today are, Kendrick, Schoolboy Q, Travis Scott and drake. They all influence me in a different way, whether it be on delivery, style or flow. 

I’m one of those people that really listen to music, not just listen, if you know what I mean. I guess it’s just the musical ear I’ve been given, being able to pay attention to the small and minor details and learn how to take and then turn them into my own thing. I really study the ones that come before me, it’s helped me evolve into the artist I am today, so I’ll always be learning, from Adele to Jay Z, my thoughts will always be focused on how the great ones did it and how I can apply that to myself and be better. 

Who is Perry P outside of the music game? 

Perry is a pretty quiet and private guy to say the least, just a hardworking lowkey individual. That changes when I’m around my friends though, I turn into a demon at times, especially if there’s loud music playing, crazy energy that can’t be tamed, it’s just my thing. But I’m your average joe, get along with everyone and just like to have a good time. One thing I pride myself on is bringing up the mood of the people around me, no matter the time or place. So if you ever find yourself in the same vicinity as me, gear up for action. 

What’s your outlook on Australia’s music scene at the moment? 

For a while now I’ve felt that the scene in Australia is gonna be crazy once it pops off, in my mind all it’s gonna take is for one person to really take off and that’s gonna open doors for so many others, especially within Perth. Right now we are doing our thing but it’s not yet at that stage where we’ve got the world’s attention on us, that’s what we’re striving for. Collectively we are destined to do amazing things and individually there are key names to look out for. 

Personally within my city, besides myself I feel like those guys are Young Pascal, Yourboymars, Trapboii and Nabiiou$, just to name a few, guys I see really pushing the bar, these are my peers so when I see them doing well it only motivates me. Give it a few years and Australia is gonna be a hotspot, I truly believe that! 

Who do you want to work with in the future? 

There are plenty of people I want to work with in future but to be honest I’m more excited to work with the same guys I’ve been working with currently, five years from now and onwards. Coming up with the same people you started with is a different feeling when you’re all together at the top, something I can’t wait for. 

Any shoutouts…. 

Shoutout to my mum for keeping my head straight and my siblings for playing MTV everyday when I was a kid, I took notes, now it’s about to take us a long way. 

Instagram: http://instagram.com/perrypleasurre/ 

‘ON THE LOW’ by Perry P will be out on all streaming platforms on 4th June, 2021.

June 2, 2021 0 comments
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Corduroy Spaceship reveals striking sophomore EP, Life In Hollywood
Music InterviewsMusic News

CORDUROY SPACESHIP

by the partae May 31, 2021
written by the partae

What significance does this record have to you now, that it’s out there and you can look back on it as a completed record?

The record loses significance in some way to me after it’s been released. When I’m writing and recording it seems like this mammoth task and I imagine once I finish it I will feel really accomplished. But it kinda turns out the other way. I won’t listen to the record for maybe 2-4 weeks after it’s been released, then I’ll hit it up and kinda feel like ah well that’s kinda cool I guess?? What do I do now..? What’s next? It’s a weird rollercoaster of emotions.

How long did the recording of this EP take and if there was, what was something you learned about yourself as an artist during that process?

Roughly 18 months I think. There was a lot of delay due to lockdown here in Melbourne. Every time I’m involved in some kind of recording or record or whatever I seem to learn to be less and less hard on myself. I’m learning to take my foot off the gas when an obstacle comes my way. Instead of doubling down and hoping for the best. 

Is there any one song that stands out to you as a favourite (and why)?

Life In Hollywood is definitely the track I want people to hear. It’s something new for me with the guitar taking the backseat and letting the vocals and synth drive. It’s new territory for me and I want people to notice that more than anything else. 

Was there a moment when making this EP where you thought, ‘This is turning into something that I wasn’t expecting’ – did the initial vision you had for it change in the final product?

As soon as I started recording Life In Hollywood I was like, ‘Holy shit I haven’t been here before.’ I was trying to work out what the guitar was supposed to do, but it became obvious early on that it wasn’t needed. Homage Part 1 & 2 were going to be one bigger song but at some point got split up and book ending the EP. 

Was much of the material written pre-lockdown or during?

About 50/50. I wrote the bassline for She Wants You about 4 years ago. Life In Hollywood came in the depths of lockdown.  

Thinking about the music you’re wanting to make in the future, how does this EP capture this energy?

I’m excited about playing more synth and keys for sure, to broaden my knowledge a bit. This EP in particular I have really grown to love writing and playing bass, so I think these instruments that usually take a back seat role will come to the forefront in future recordings. 

Being in Melbourne, how much of an escape has music been for you over the last 12 months?

It’s been an escape and a prison. I had more time than ever to sit down and write and record, but it was almost the only thing I did during lockdown. Writing and recording is usually my happy place but during lockdown I didn’t really have any other place to escape to. Music felt like a chore at times.

 

The Life In Hollywood EP is out now.

 

PLAY/LISTEN

Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Triple J Unearthed

May 31, 2021 0 comments
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Where are you currently based? I'm currently based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I'm in the city a lot too for uni and gigs so it's a lot of back and forth between where I live and Sydney city.  How did you first start playing music? I come from a very musical household so music was always around as I was growing up. My Dad is a music teacher and my Mum is a music therapist so it was kind of inevitable that I would end up in music as well! The first instrument I had proper lessons on was the violin. I played violin for about 6 or 7 years and I owe so much of who I am as a musician to those really formative years of playing violin. My teacher taught me how to listen and how to feel music and gave me all the foundations I needed to continue music through songwriting and other instruments. I picked up some other instruments through primary school and highschool like I played the flute for a while and had keyboard and singing lessons. One day I picked up my Dad's bass guitar and pretty much instantly fell in love with it and have been playing bass ever since. Guitar is probably my main songwriting instrument, I wouldn't say I'm Jimmi Hendrix or anything but I do have my favourite chord shapes and can hold a rhythm.  What's been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been? Recently lifes been pretty hectic with studying and teaching and gigging and writing. I keep pretty busy but I'm really grateful that all the things I'm busy with are things that I enjoy. Covid last year definitely had me in a bit of a musical slump. I was feeling a lot of pressure from social media and other people in the industry to use lockdown and isolation as a time to create and pump out content and I think all of that pressure ultimately turned me away from music for a bit. I also felt like I needed to give myself permission to not have to be productive for once and just get through the lockdowns as best as I could. I feel refreshed and re-inspired this year as things are gradually getting back to normal and I'm excited to keep collaborating, gigging, writing and learning as much as I can about music.  Your new single 'Good Mood' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting? For this release I really wanted to share another side of my music with people. My last EP which was recorded in Nashville before Covid was very acoustic, down tempo sort of stuff which is definitely a big part of my songwriting catalogue, but for this track I wanted to share the more funky, upbeat side of myself as an artist. I was influenced by a lot of R&B artists for this track like Erykah Badu, ELIZA, H.E.R, Cleo Sol and Ravyn Lenae. In terms of the songwriting, a big part of writing this track was about letting go of having to have these really profound and metaphorical and I guess complex lyrics and instead just marinating on the simple idea of being in a good mood. At first I wasn't sure about how repetitive the chorus is as I've never written a chorus with so few words before, but I gradually started to appreciate the simplicity of it and how it gave more space for the instrumentation to really drive the vibe of the track.   How did you go about writing Good Mood? Like almost all of my songs, Good Mood started out with just me and my guitar. The chords were the first thing that I got excited about and then pretty quickly I'd written the chorus and the melody for the verse. I actually didn't think about the song too seriously or as my next release until I was on a family holiday and was going through all my voice memos and I got really excited when I was listening to Good Mood and pretty much decided then and there that it would be my next single. I wrote the rest of the lyrics for the verse and the bridge as soon as I got home and then I actually stumbled on the key change by accident and decided to stick with it!   What does Good Mood mean to you? Good Mood is all about celebrating those moments where you forget your troubles, you forget why you were crying in the first place and you actually just enjoy the moment and enjoy your life. It's definitely not a song to say that you have to be in a good mood all of the time because firstly that's just not realistic and secondly there isn't really a good mood without a bad mood. It's more about embracing the ups and downs and actually treausing those good moods to help you get through the bad ones. The song definitely helps me to remind myself that I do have good days, days so good that I write a song about it! It really helps me to stay optimistic and hopeful that the good days will always be around the corner.  Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with? The bulk of Good Mood was made in my humble bedroom studio. I also worked with Mel Ertler on keys and Ryan Park on lead guitar at the studios at the Con. We had a couple of sessions where we recorded lots of ideas and collaborated on some different parts to develop the track a bit more. I started recording and producing it around September of last year and wanted to release it in November or December but then life happened and the Northern Beaches went into lockdown and the track lost a lot of momentum. Thankfully my friend Chelsea Warner helped me revive it by producing some drum tracks for it which really brought it to life. She is an absolute legend, I can not recommend her enough for any production needs. My Dad also came into the Con studios one day and was my engineer for recording the lead vocals which was also helpful for reigniting my motivation for releasing the song. My partner Max mixed the track from his home studio. It was so great to work with him because I could be as fussy as I wanted! And he is also very talented at mixing so it was a pleasure. The final step was sending the track off to Studios 301 to be mastered and Harvey O'Sullivan did a really great job of it.  How did you approach the recording process? The recording process for this track was very different to the recording process of my last EP. Hypothesis for Happiness was all recorded in one day at a studio in Nashville with session musicians. That process was great and such an awesome learning experience but for this release I wanted to try the process of recording and producing over time and in different environments. It was great in terms of having lots of creative space to experiment and listen and re-experiment. It was also great for collaborating with different people in different spaces. I will say though, self producing a project without any concrete deadlines is really hard for keeping up motivation and momentum for the project, but we got there in the end!  What programs/equipment did you use? Logic Pro X is my musical home. I've tried many times swapping over to Ableton or Pro Tools but every time without fail I end up back on Logic! I think because I grew up playing Garage Band on the iPad every day as a kid, Logic feels really familiar and kind of connects me to my own artistic development over the course of my life. I played my Mini Maton and my red Fender Squire guitars on the track as well as my Lakland Skyline bass. Mel and I used Komplete Kontrol sounds by Native Instruments on the midi keys and Ryan used Guitar Rig by Native Instruments for his guitar tracks.  Please tell us about you experience with studying music: I'm studying Contemporary Music Practice at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. There are some huge pros to studying music, meeting like minded people is definitely the main thing that I have enjoyed. Not only do those people become friends but they become collaborators and colleagues. Another pro is having structure and deadlines. I think there's a lot of music that I've made for uni over the past three years that wouldn't have been made otherwise. The structure and deadlines really help to get songs finished. Studying music isn't always easy though. Just like with every degree, there are going to be subjects that you just have to get through or subjects that are vastly different from how you expected them to be. Another challenge is the constant question of what does this get me? People always ask me what job will this degree get me and it's a really difficult one to answer. I guess we all chose to study music because we love it, not because we want a regular, well-paying job. If you want a regular well-paying job, music probably isn't the most direct path to that. So I guess my answer to that question of what does this get me is hopefully a life full of music and various opportunities opening up, and uni is just a launchpad to get us started.  What new music/projects do you have on the way? I'm working on a concept EP at the moment. I won't give away too much but it explores a lot of themes about living with creativity and how to live a satisfied life as a creative person. I'm also starting to recruit some female musicians to form a bit of a girl band to play some of my original music. Gender equality in the music industry is something that I care deeply about and I always want to be a driving positive force for women to have the same opportunities and experiences available to them as our male counterparts.  Who are you listening to at the moment? I've been listening to a fair bit of Jazz lately as I'm taking a Jazz vocal course at uni. Ella Fitzgerald is my absolute favourite Jazz singer, I have a poster of her and Louis Armstrong on my bedroom wall. In terms of other more modern artists, Eryn Allen Kane is an absolute queen. So is Charlotte Day Wilson, she has such a unique, buttery voice. I'm also very hyped for the new Hiatus Kaiyote album to come out. I've been a huge fan of theirs for many years and I love the tracks they've released already so I'm very excited! On a more mainstream note, I am a little bit obsessed with Silk Sonic (Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars). I just love how they're bringing motown back into the mainstream and exposing a lot of pop music listeners to a new genre.  What do you like to do away from music? I love travelling, not that there's much of that going on at the moment but even just exploring more of the state is something I love to do on uni breaks. I'm really into kickboxing at the moment too. It's a good outlet for any anger or frustrations I have that I can let out on the punching bag so that I can be a polite and nice person for the rest of the day! I am a little bit of a gamer girl too, I love my nintendo switch and my computer games.  What's planned for the remainder of 2021? I've learnt over Covid that the near future is so out of my control. These random Covid breakouts and on again - off again lockdowns make it really hard to plan for the rest of the year which has actually been good practice for me to stay in the moment more and accept that I can't control what the rest of the year looks like. That being said, I would like to release another EP by the end of the year and hopefully develop a new live set up so I can start doing my own original gigs at local venues on the Beaches.  Favourite food and place to hangout? There's a place in Redfern near the University of Sydney where me and some friends always go after our Jazz vocal workshops called Terra Cotta Roasters and they have this burger that has all of my favourite foods on it. Haloumi, hash browns, avocado, fried eggs and tomato relish. That with an oat milk latte is pretty much the ultimate dining experience for me. I also have a huge sweet tooth like I could eat sour patch kids every night if that was healthy!  Stream "Good Mood" here: https://linktr.ee/abbyfullermusic  https://abbyfullermusic.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcqm2v6RZxeP1dlQmQ6Brzg  Instagram: @abbyfulllermusic Facebook: Abby Fuller MUSIC  SoundCloud: Abby Fuller MUSIC
Music InterviewsMusic News

Abby Fuller

by the partae May 31, 2021
written by the partae
Where are you currently based?
 
I’m currently based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I’m in the city a lot too for uni and gigs so it’s a lot of back and forth between where I live and Sydney city.
 
How did you first start playing music?
 
I come from a very musical household so music was always around as I was growing up. My Dad is a music teacher and my Mum is a music therapist so it was kind of inevitable that I would end up in music as well! The first instrument I had proper lessons on was the violin. I played violin for about 6 or 7 years and I owe so much of who I am as a musician to those really formative years of playing violin. My teacher taught me how to listen and how to feel music and gave me all the foundations I needed to continue music through songwriting and other instruments. I picked up some other instruments through primary school and highschool like I played the flute for a while and had keyboard and singing lessons. One day I picked up my Dad’s bass guitar and pretty much instantly fell in love with it and have been playing bass ever since. Guitar is probably my main songwriting instrument, I wouldn’t say I’m Jimmi Hendrix or anything but I do have my favourite chord shapes and can hold a rhythm.
 
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
 
Recently lifes been pretty hectic with studying and teaching and gigging and writing. I keep pretty busy but I’m really grateful that all the things I’m busy with are things that I enjoy. Covid last year definitely had me in a bit of a musical slump. I was feeling a lot of pressure from social media and other people in the industry to use lockdown and isolation as a time to create and pump out content and I think all of that pressure ultimately turned me away from music for a bit. I also felt like I needed to give myself permission to not have to be productive for once and just get through the lockdowns as best as I could. I feel refreshed and re-inspired this year as things are gradually getting back to normal and I’m excited to keep collaborating, gigging, writing and learning as much as I can about music.
 
Your new single ‘Good Mood’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
 
For this release I really wanted to share another side of my music with people. My last EP which was recorded in Nashville before Covid was very acoustic, down tempo sort of stuff which is definitely a big part of my songwriting catalogue, but for this track I wanted to share the more funky, upbeat side of myself as an artist. I was influenced by a lot of R&B artists for this track like Erykah Badu, ELIZA, H.E.R, Cleo Sol and Ravyn Lenae. In terms of the songwriting, a big part of writing this track was about letting go of having to have these really profound and metaphorical and I guess complex lyrics and instead just marinating on the simple idea of being in a good mood. At first I wasn’t sure about how repetitive the chorus is as I’ve never written a chorus with so few words before, but I gradually started to appreciate the simplicity of it and how it gave more space for the instrumentation to really drive the vibe of the track.
 
How did you go about writing Good Mood?
 
Like almost all of my songs, Good Mood started out with just me and my guitar. The chords were the first thing that I got excited about and then pretty quickly I’d written the chorus and the melody for the verse. I actually didn’t think about the song too seriously or as my next release until I was on a family holiday and was going through all my voice memos and I got really excited when I was listening to Good Mood and pretty much decided then and there that it would be my next single. I wrote the rest of the lyrics for the verse and the bridge as soon as I got home and then I actually stumbled on the key change by accident and decided to stick with it!
 
What does Good Mood mean to you?
 
Good Mood is all about celebrating those moments where you forget your troubles, you forget why you were crying in the first place and you actually just enjoy the moment and enjoy your life. It’s definitely not a song to say that you have to be in a good mood all of the time because firstly that’s just not realistic and secondly there isn’t really a good mood without a bad mood. It’s more about embracing the ups and downs and actually treausing those good moods to help you get through the bad ones. The song definitely helps me to remind myself that I do have good days, days so good that I write a song about it! It really helps me to stay optimistic and hopeful that the good days will always be around the corner.
 
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?
 
The bulk of Good Mood was made in my humble bedroom studio. I also worked with Mel Ertler on keys and Ryan Park on lead guitar at the studios at the Con. We had a couple of sessions where we recorded lots of ideas and collaborated on some different parts to develop the track a bit more. I started recording and producing it around September of last year and wanted to release it in November or December but then life happened and the Northern Beaches went into lockdown and the track lost a lot of momentum. Thankfully my friend Chelsea Warner helped me revive it by producing some drum tracks for it which really brought it to life. She is an absolute legend, I can not recommend her enough for any production needs. My Dad also came into the Con studios one day and was my engineer for recording the lead vocals which was also helpful for reigniting my motivation for releasing the song. My partner Max mixed the track from his home studio. It was so great to work with him because I could be as fussy as I wanted! And he is also very talented at mixing so it was a pleasure. The final step was sending the track off to Studios 301 to be mastered and Harvey O’Sullivan did a really great job of it.
 
How did you approach the recording process?
 
The recording process for this track was very different to the recording process of my last EP. Hypothesis for Happiness was all recorded in one day at a studio in Nashville with session musicians. That process was great and such an awesome learning experience but for this release I wanted to try the process of recording and producing over time and in different environments. It was great in terms of having lots of creative space to experiment and listen and re-experiment. It was also great for collaborating with different people in different spaces. I will say though, self producing a project without any concrete deadlines is really hard for keeping up motivation and momentum for the project, but we got there in the end!
 
What programs/equipment did you use?
 
Logic Pro X is my musical home. I’ve tried many times swapping over to Ableton or Pro Tools but every time without fail I end up back on Logic! I think because I grew up playing Garage Band on the iPad every day as a kid, Logic feels really familiar and kind of connects me to my own artistic development over the course of my life. I played my Mini Maton and my red Fender Squire guitars on the track as well as my Lakland Skyline bass. Mel and I used Komplete Kontrol sounds by Native Instruments on the midi keys and Ryan used Guitar Rig by Native Instruments for his guitar tracks.
 
Please tell us about you experience with studying music:
 
I’m studying Contemporary Music Practice at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. There are some huge pros to studying music, meeting like minded people is definitely the main thing that I have enjoyed. Not only do those people become friends but they become collaborators and colleagues. Another pro is having structure and deadlines. I think there’s a lot of music that I’ve made for uni over the past three years that wouldn’t have been made otherwise. The structure and deadlines really help to get songs finished. Studying music isn’t always easy though. Just like with every degree, there are going to be subjects that you just have to get through or subjects that are vastly different from how you expected them to be. Another challenge is the constant question of what does this get me? People always ask me what job will this degree get me and it’s a really difficult one to answer. I guess we all chose to study music because we love it, not because we want a regular, well-paying job. If you want a regular well-paying job, music probably isn’t the most direct path to that. So I guess my answer to that question of what does this get me is hopefully a life full of music and various opportunities opening up, and uni is just a launchpad to get us started.
 
What new music/projects do you have on the way?
 
I’m working on a concept EP at the moment. I won’t give away too much but it explores a lot of themes about living with creativity and how to live a satisfied life as a creative person. I’m also starting to recruit some female musicians to form a bit of a girl band to play some of my original music. Gender equality in the music industry is something that I care deeply about and I always want to be a driving positive force for women to have the same opportunities and experiences available to them as our male counterparts.
 
Who are you listening to at the moment?
 
I’ve been listening to a fair bit of Jazz lately as I’m taking a Jazz vocal course at uni. Ella Fitzgerald is my absolute favourite Jazz singer, I have a poster of her and Louis Armstrong on my bedroom wall. In terms of other more modern artists, Eryn Allen Kane is an absolute queen. So is Charlotte Day Wilson, she has such a unique, buttery voice. I’m also very hyped for the new Hiatus Kaiyote album to come out. I’ve been a huge fan of theirs for many years and I love the tracks they’ve released already so I’m very excited! On a more mainstream note, I am a little bit obsessed with Silk Sonic (Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars). I just love how they’re bringing motown back into the mainstream and exposing a lot of pop music listeners to a new genre.
 
What do you like to do away from music?
 
I love travelling, not that there’s much of that going on at the moment but even just exploring more of the state is something I love to do on uni breaks. I’m really into kickboxing at the moment too. It’s a good outlet for any anger or frustrations I have that I can let out on the punching bag so that I can be a polite and nice person for the rest of the day! I am a little bit of a gamer girl too, I love my nintendo switch and my computer games.
 
What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?
 
I’ve learnt over Covid that the near future is so out of my control. These random Covid breakouts and on again – off again lockdowns make it really hard to plan for the rest of the year which has actually been good practice for me to stay in the moment more and accept that I can’t control what the rest of the year looks like. That being said, I would like to release another EP by the end of the year and hopefully develop a new live set up so I can start doing my own original gigs at local venues on the Beaches.
 
Favourite food and place to hangout?
There’s a place in Redfern near the University of Sydney where me and some friends always go after our Jazz vocal workshops called Terra Cotta Roasters and they have this burger that has all of my favourite foods on it. Haloumi, hash browns, avocado, fried eggs and tomato relish. That with an oat milk latte is pretty much the ultimate dining experience for me. I also have a huge sweet tooth like I could eat sour patch kids every night if that was healthy!

Stream “Good Mood” here: https://linktr.ee/abbyfullermusic 
https://abbyfullermusic.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcqm2v6RZxeP1dlQmQ6Brzg 
Instagram: @abbyfulllermusic
Facebook: Abby Fuller MUSIC
SoundCloud: Abby Fuller MUSIC
May 31, 2021 0 comments
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Jack Botts
Music InterviewsMusic News

Jack Botts

by the partae May 28, 2021
written by the partae
Where are you currently based? Byron Bay

How did you first start playing music? I started teach myself guitar in the afternoons after school in grade 4.

How did you start busking and how has it influenced your live performance? I started busking with my mate Dusty Boots and it just kept going from there. Busking taught me so many things that I use in all my shows today. All the little things like breaking strings or talking to the audience. It all helps.

What’s been happening recently? Not a whole lot recently. Heaps or surfing around here and the Gold Coast which has been nice. And started writing new music again which is fun.

Your new EP ‘Slow Mornings’ is due to drop on June 4, what influenced the sound and songwriting? A lot of the writing and sound was influenced by bands I was listening to at the time. Mainly artists like Trevor Hall, John Mayer, Mt Joy, J.cole, and Jack Johnson is always pretty inspiring hahah.

Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with? ‘Hold You’ and ‘18th Floor’ were both recorded in North Vancouver, Canada at Park Sound Studios, and produced by Garrett Kato back in Byron. The rest of the track were all recorded and produced by Garrett Kato. All tracks were mastered by Simon McIntyre.

How did you approach the recording process? I tend to go into the studio with the smallest of ideas, (sometimes a blank canvas) and see what comes out of it. I don’t like going in with too many ideas if it doesn’t feel right. I like keeping it open on the day.

What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation of Slow Mornings? I had about 3 or 4 months of writer’s block whilst I was on tour late last year which was super frustrating. But once I stayed still for a week, I got back into that rhythm of writing again and getting songs down.

Where and when are you playing next? I’m playing in Adelaide next Friday 4th to kick off my national tour and heading to capital cities after that! Can’t wait!

How’s life on the road touring with your van? Love it! Obviously it has its highs and lows but I love touring the way I do. It’s just super easy!

What’s your van setup? Queen bed, fridge, kitchen cabinet, tool box, 3 surfboards, 4 guitars, about 5 boxes of merch and the rest of my life is in here hahaha.

Who are you listening to at the moment? I’ve been listening to heaps of Cordae and Anderson. Paak lately. Love it.

What do you like to do away from music? I figured all I really do now outside of music is surf hahaha. If I’m not surfing for exercise, I love running and being outside. But also I try and catch up with friends and family if I’ve got time off.

What’s planned for the rest of 2021? I finish this tour in June and then will have a bit of time off to chill and maybe write and record some more music. Then hopefully wrap up with some more shows towards the end of the year!

Favourite food and place to hangout? I’ve been having so much Japanese food for dinner lately its ridiculous haha. But I think the Salt Mill cafe in Currumbin is one of my favs for coffee.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jackbottsmusic

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jackbotts/

Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_tgVSEZaHRvNmcjMhdFOg

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VeyhwBUfsaWMkQ2Ld8QNl?si=bWrKjQcvT3Owb5c3fyoYog

Tickets – https://linktr.ee/jackbotts

May 28, 2021 0 comments
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SWEDISH POP DUO JUBËL RELEASE ‘DUMB’ FROM FORTHCOMING EP; COMBINING PERFECT POP & FEEL-GOOD DANCE
Music InterviewsMusic News

JUBËL

by the partae May 26, 2021
written by the partae

Who are Jubël? – what does the name mean?

 

Jubël is a Swedish pop duo, with me Victor and Sebastian. 

The Swedish word ”jubel” means a cheering crowd. 

 

Describe your sound:

 

Our sound is organic driven pop with electronic influences. We always try to focus on strong melodies. 

 

What is your overall vibe?

 

We want to bring warm, joyful vibes. We often write about longing for summer and good times.

 

Do you both play instruments? How are the roles divided between you – does one of you write, the other produce?

 

We both play guitar. 

The process is different from each song but Sebastian is the main producer and we always work together when writing melodies and lyrics. 

 

You live in Stockholm, If we were to visit for one day what is the most important thing to see or do?

 

Visit the archipelagos during summer is a must! Taking the boat between different places and just enjoy the beautiful landscape. 

 

You have worked with some cool brands who have taken on your music for their commercials – tell me about these:

 

We’ve been featured in a instore campaign with HM with one of our first single ”Illusion”.  It was really cool getting videos sent from all over the world with our song getting played in the store. 

 

Sweden is a nation of DJs – Do you DJ? Do you prefer to per perform live on stage?

 

We did DJ a lot a few years ago, good or not, we had a really fun run :)! 

When we created Jubël we wanted to be more interactive with the audience so Live was the way to go. We feel more hyped about going on stage playing Live. 

 

Do you think that the EDM from Sweden DJs over the last few year have elevated Sweden on the global electronic music map?

 

Absolutely, the EDM wave was/is huge with Sweden in the top. This has made a very big impact on the scene I would say. 

 

Tell me about your new release Dumb, What is it about? How does it sound? Where should we listen to it?

 

It’s a love story about wanting to reach out to someone but being afraid of getting neglected. We wanted to make something fun and catchy. The song is up-tempo with a strong guitar hook, lots of nice vibes. You can listen to it on all Platforms. 

 

The video is fun and has the ultimate twist, don’t tell us the ending but what was the idea and the styling behind it?

 

We wanted to keep the retro theme from the ”Weekend Vibe” video. The director Sebastian Sandblad got a story from listening to the song and we loved all of his ideas. 

 

Are you hopeful for the future for music and gatherings now we have the vaccine?

 

The future looks bright, we are super excited to go out traveling and finally doing shows again. It will be great !

LISTEN / STREAM ‘DUMB’ HERE

WARNER MUSIC / ATLANTIC RECORDS
JUBËL- DUMB
OUT NOW

Connect with JUBËL
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
SoundCloud
Spotify
Website

 

May 26, 2021 0 comments
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Sterling Press
Music InterviewsMusic News

Sterling Press

by the partae May 25, 2021
written by the partae

Having stormed onto the scene with their daring debut ‘Very Fun Times’, Sterling Press are a fresh four-piece who deliver a compelling brand of in-your-face indie with roots in Ska that also throws back to the brit-pop heyday. ‘Lots Of Noise’ is the latest offering from the group, which has been lauded by the Specials, Radio X and now, us! We had the pleasure of catching up with the band on all things music, school and golf.

Hey guys, can you introduce yourselves and what role you play in the band?

Not just instruments!

The band is made up of Marlon (bass/vocals) , Ed (guitar/vocals), Greg (guitar/vocals) and Lucien (drums). We all write the songs together so there isn’t one person that writes a song from start to finish. We all chip in along the way. It normally starts with ed and marlon in a shed together and then goes to greg who works his producer magic and makes the demos sound class before playing it as a band with lucien as well.

How did you all meet?

We all met in school. We were the kids that played music for all the school musicals and whatnot so we became friends through that stuff and eventually decided to make our own band and write our own music.

What is ‘Lot’s Of Noise’ about and can you explain what influenced the lyrics?

It’s just a story of a woman who works in a pub and dreams of something bigger. Felt like most people have been/are in a similar situation including ourselves so felt relevant to sing about.

What are your biggest highlights of your career so far?

Getting support from legends like Steve Lamacq has been fucking sick. We put so much work into each song so it’s class to see it appreciated by the top DJs. We started the band during lockdown so obviously we haven’t been able to do much but it’s still been a great few months.

Any big plans in the next few weeks and months?

Wanna gig as much as we can. Try to play throughout the summer. We have our own shows in July including a London sellout which is gonna be massive but hopefully we can get some support shows and festival slots to take us through to Winter where a headline tour may be on the horizon.

Finally, who is the best golfer? Referencing your instagram, of course:

Not gonna lie, that was the first time any of us had picked up a golf club. I’d say Greg had the most natural talent.

https://www.instagram.com/sterlingpress/

May 25, 2021 0 comments
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Scott Klein
Music InterviewsMusic News

Scott Klein

by the partae May 20, 2021
written by the partae

Where are you currently based?

Saskatchewan Canada

How did you first start playing music?

I got this old nylon string guitar when I was 19 and wrote my first song shortly after, It was no good probably but real, I remember it being about a good friend.

What’s been happening recently? 

I am recording a new album for the fall it’s about half way right now.

Your new single ‘Sunshine’ is out on May 20, 2021, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

I think on this track I had that heavy 1965 British folk rock thing in the back of my mind, where the concepts are a bit  dark, but sung with a more light spin. This song is about an ex-lover that had passed away suddenly, but I had not found out until years later when I had returned back to Swift Current, SK Canada after being gone for a long while. Expecting her to be there but she wasn’t.

How did you go about writing Sunshine?

I brought this song to the producer that I was recording with at the time. I had just written the song days before, I’m not sure why I didn’t pick one of the other songs I had wrote in the past, but I had just cut the a song from the record and this one seemed right.

Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?

This toon was Recorded in Saskatoon SK, Canada about a year ago, at Skull Creek Studios. Aspen Beveridge and I produced, mixed and recorded this track, with help from Leot Hanson. Mastering done by Harry Hess from Toronto ON  March 20th 2021.

What programs/equipment did you use?

The gear that we used was an old acoustic guitar plugged directly into a fender twin reverb. Aspen played a tremolo pedal which you hear in the beginning of the song. Leot through down some killer dark lead licks in the middle 8 using his 62 fender bassman and broken reverb pedal.

How did you approach the recording process?

We approached it a bit unconventional for sure, but we had a few demos of the track already so we knew where it was headed, but we all just let go and had fun really.

What do you like to do away from music?

I’m not sure I fully achieve getting away from music, but I do enjoy art, however I always have this feed back loop to music or songwriting.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

At the moment I’m listening to People like Guy Clark, Donovan, Karen Dalton, Hasil Adkins, Towns Van Zanbt, The Velvet Underground and Skip James.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?

Release the full EP in a month and finish recording my album but end of summer, and tour this fall.

Favorite food and place to hangout? 

Pizza and a blues bar.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/33wyfJZ8aMchKlwIkJR9o6?si=Zjo2BZ9vT9yIMdsNeoAjwQ
https://www.scottkleinmusic.com/
https://mobile.twitter.com/scotkleinmusic
https://instagram.com/scottkleinmusic?igshid=nrc45kiwroet
May 20, 2021 0 comments
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Off Night
Music InterviewsMusic News

Off Night

by the partae May 20, 2021
written by the partae

Hey guys, great to chat to you. How are things in your world?

Hey, our world is full of love and music. All good 😉

Can you tell us how you met and came to work with each other?

We first met about 6 years ago and for a long time we were both residents of one of the clubs in Kiev.

We were playing a lot together and therefore, we decided to combine our efforts and created a project OFF NIGHT.
How would you describe your sound? Is there anything that really influences your productions?

Its a spicy mix between indie dance and melodic house, for sure, with a big influence of 80s.

How are things in Ukraine at the moment? Does it look like there will be a return to clubs & festivals any time soon?

We are slowly back to normal life and normal night life. We see light at the end of the tunnel and expect this summer to be massive.

If you could play anywhere in the world for your first gig back, where would it be?

We have amazing gig on 4th of June, playing with Keinemusik team – Rampa, Adam Port, &Me. We couldn’t imagine a better opening of the season.

Tell us about your debut EP ‘Suspended In Air’. How did the collaboration with the legendary Robert Owens come about?

Robert is a true legend and the “voice of house music”. It was always a dream to work with him, since we just started listening to house music. So we created a demo with his vocal cuts, sent him to check. He liked it and agreed to make a collab with us and wrote original lyrics for this single.

Who did what – did you each have a set role on the track or did you collaborate on everything?

We work together all the time, but Oleg is more responsible for the groove elements and Maxim is for melodic parts and mixing.

Sascha Braemer and Oliver Schories remixed your track, it must be pretty inspiring to have two big names already remixing your first record?

Yes, amazing that it happened and big thanks to Sascha and Oliver that took this risk to believe in us and remix first single of a new project.

Has it been weird writing music without any clubs open? Has that affected your sound?
Not at all. We were DJing for many years before we even met, so we know what works on the floor and what makes people dance. The pandemic just gave us more freedom and time to make music.
What’s next for you, are you working on any more projects that you can tell us about?

For next release we have collab with Canadian vocalist Elly Ball. It’s a very sexy tune, so we are looking forward to it!

Soundcloud 
https://soundcloud.com/offnight/sets/off-night-feat-robert-owens-suspended-in-air-1
Beatport 
https://www.beatport.com/release/suspended-in-air/3308049
May 20, 2021 0 comments
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Saint Idiot (Tomáš Andel) is a Slovak-Canadian art pop musician, sound designer, and multimedia artist from Edmonton, Canada. His music has been interpreted as a deconstruction of pop; familiar forms rendered in sophisticated sound palettes, set in lush, carefully textured compositions, that are both a little futuristic and a little mossy. Tomáš' inspirations include the multisensory worlds of artists like Björk and Bowie, the continuing legacy of bell hooks, as well as Zen, Deep Listening, ambient music, and flora. “Talk” is the third single from the upcoming album Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future, a record that explores masculinity. Softening the heart with the grainy pastel sounds of nostalgia, “Talk” invites topics we tend to only reach for on certain kinds of days—a sitting-on-the-stairs sort of honesty, the most rewarding labor of love. “It’s a celebration of those life-changing moments—both nostalgic and timeless—where we are really being there with a person without reservation,” Andel says, “listening fully, unpacking emotions, or learning to love and hold one another even through our disagreements.” With a sort of skin tone sound palette, “Talk” is carried by earnest falsetto, guitar, harp, clarinet, and a host of gauzy synthesizers that are underscored throughout by an almost ASMR-like pointillism of intimate sounds. The end of the track features an excerpt from interviews titled “Conversations With Young Men,” a work in progress from documentarian Laura La France. Where are you currently based? I live by the tree in Edmonton. How did you first start playing and writing music? Apparently I had tinkling piano fingers as soon as my wrists reached over the lip of the piano, and I used to cut guitars out of paper as well. I really started as a drummer, though—I played in a fair number of bands in the past—so I’m really coming from the world of rhythm and improvisation. I loved my bands, but my creative ambitions tended to take over them, so eventually I started writing for myself. It’s for the best—I’m probably still a lousy collaborative songwriter. What's been happening recently? I’ve discovered that I can rollerblade to the convenience store to buy all-dressed Ruffles, so now I pretend I’m Chip from “Baskets.” You've got a new album on the way, what influenced the sound and songwriting? I was really obsessed with “soft, human” sounds. I wanted an album that felt like skin, like a caress, something that’d get the oxytocin (the “love hormone”) flowing, ‘cause I wanted to support the potentially challenging lyrics with something both fantastic but also warm, inviting, and nurturing. At first I was obsessed with bells, chimes, wood blocks, and other “earthy” sounds—partly ‘cause I really fell in love with the almost tactile earthiness of Kilchhofer. I raided a whole bunch of antique stores for bells and tines and such. That didn’t make it on the album so much, but it got me thinking about hang drums, kalimbas, and mallet instruments (which did make it), and before I knew it I was painting with orchestral colors. I wanted to marry the sophistication, emotional pull, and rich, grounding character of harps, strings, and clarinets with the abstraction of synthesizers, to get something simultaneously organic and futuristic. My goal with my music is to take a huge range of sounds, especially from the more experimental corners of the music world, and search for where they can intersect and still make sense. This is partly because I just love so many different types of music, and partly ‘cause I figure that I’m bound to find something interesting in these strange combinations. On this album, I was thinking a lot about Björk, Laurie Anderson, Motion Graphics, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, and Cosmo Sheldrake, and I’m also a massive fan of noise and ambient music. I guess it’s safe to say I really like music that tells stories and is deeply textural. When will the album be released? September 8th. After “Talk,” there’s two more singles coming on June 30th and August 11th. How did you go about writing the album? I was doing a lot of introspecting and inner work when I started working on Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future. I’ve been really fascinated by masculinity. I wondered why I found it so hard to identify with it for most of my life, why certain toxic tendencies coalesce in certain masculine contexts, and what kind of work men have to do to cause less harm and become happier people. As you might imagine, this is a pretty tremendous topic with a lot of traps and tricky ground, and I really tried to approach it from a radically honest and transparent place, from a pre-political place, and with all fairness to the many different and valid ways to be a man.  I was very poindexter about it and planned it out almost like an essay, with every song unpacking a specific question, problem, or struggle that I’ve had in my own healing—whether that’s my relationship to anger, or possessiveness, or the reluctance to express emotions or ask for help. As rigid as that sounds, it ended up being a really organic and iterative process. It felt like exploration, or discovery. It felt like I solved a lot of my own personal tensions and found even more helpful questions to grapple with in the future, so it was really generative. Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with? It was entirely a lockdown record, so I recorded and produced it in my room, but I’ll try to romanticize it a little.  The truth is, my workspace and my bed are less than 2 feet apart, and I’ve had the old “wake up at 3:00am, boot up the computer, and put down a chord progression” routine happen a few times, which is to say that from a certain point of view, it is as intimate a record as it can get.  I’m sure many people who have been creating through the lockdown agree that the boundary between life and art really disappeared in the last year. In the same way a lot of us are used to living in a “50 Chrome tabs open” world, Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future was always only a few steps away from where my life was happening. I sleep in this room, relax in this room, meditate in this room, read in this room, have sex in this room, have deep, honest conversations in this room… Basically, my work on the album was in such proximity to my regular everyday life, that the life-process that is “me” and my life unfolding was fully intertwined with the process of this album coming about. My very good friend and talented piano composer Doug Parth (With Dogs) finessed the orchestral arrangements, and the incredibly spacious and accommodating mix and master were painstakingly carved by Hill Kourkoutis and Kristian Montano, respectively. All three of these people are the kindest, most inspiring mentors you could wish for. I really look up to them and am so thankful that this album passed through the prism of their kindness and creativity. What programs/equipment did you use? I swear by Reaper. I also do a lot of field recording that I then process, so I got a Zoom H5 for that. Otherwise, with the exception of some Omnichord parts, the bulk of it was soft synths. I love the Melda plugin suite to death, and also swear by Obscurium. I’m always on the lookout for “weird” equipment though. I’d die for a deliciously dusty old modular synth like the EML Electrocomp 200. I love instruments that seem to do what they want to do. Please tell us about your motivation for writing about masculinity: When it comes to who I feel myself to be, I’ve always felt like masculinity was an awkward map for the territory. It feels tight and constricting, and like parts are missing, which was sort of my conclusion when I started thinking about it a lot.  Please understand that I’m painting in broad strokes as I answer this question, but I think that “popular” or “traditional” masculinity is often guilty of being very isolating. The “code” doesn’t encourage a lot of open, emotional, vulnerable conversation between men, or even between men and the wider society—cool, rational stoicism seems to be the vogue instead. But really, the emotional and the rational are just two parts of a whole, and my motivation is simply to draw attention to the ways in which men trapped in this restrictive paradigm can restore their whole humanity and be happier for it. I strived to write in a way that put people before politics, and encouraged a holistic kind of masculinity with two very simple goals—healthiness and happiness. You describe the song 'Talk' as an invitation—what do you mean by that? I want to encourage people who have had the faintest brush with the questions I’m exploring on this album to take the time to dig deep, answer those questions as self-honestly as they can, and then share that with other men. Although, this isn’t just for men exclusively—we can all obviously benefit from openness and humility—but perhaps it is for men especially. Or, at least, that’s who I feel I have sufficient grounds to address. This masculinity work is certainly not new—organizations like Next Gen Men here in Canada have been holding masculinity circles and helping youth disentangle themselves from the harmful behaviours boys tend to get socialized into for years. Before I discovered them, Nora Samaran and bell hooks started me on this path. The sea change is already under way. With “Talk” I want to help catalyze other people’s journeys. In this song, I’m saying that it’s OK to be scared—it’s tough to genuinely, voluntarily open yourself in these ways—I get it. I’m saying that I’ve gotten it wrong before too, and I’m not saying I have the answers. I’m just saying that we all have some long overdue questions to pose to ourselves, and to one another. I was no better, and I’m still doing the work. I want people to realize that the work of being a better person never stops, but it certainly starts with honest, candid dialogue. Please tell us about how you combine your music with your own visuals: I don’t have synesthesia, but I do have a very strong personal sense of how sounds “look,” and how visual things “sound,” and it’s something that’s both helped me sound design and compose, as well as create visuals that reflect or amplify the feel of the music. I always loved album art and cool music videos—to me they seem completely inseparable from the experience of an album. I wanted to build a really strong sensory identity for my album, so super early on, I was planning songs in terms of color palettes and moodboards. I think that in the end the sonic profile of each song matches the color palettes and imagery I’m working with when I construct my visualizers, and people have told me that together they create a really clear sense of the tone of my message. How would you describe the genre of your music? I’ve adopted “art pop” as a genre because to me it seems like the most flexible way to say “music that wants to surprise you and break your expectation,” without necessarily pigeonholing myself in the world of “experimental music.” I LOVE experimental music, but I know that a lot of people groan when they hear “experimental,” and in a way it’s also become a sort of loose, diluted term. When people hear “art pop,” I think they know they’ll probably get something mostly straight forward, and so they have an easier time buying in. It’s the free-est genre label for what I like doing. Who are you listening to at the moment? This second it’s Rafael Anton Irrasari’s Solastalgia.  What do you like to do away from music? I love long-distance road cycling, and recently I’ve really gotten into mountain bike trail riding. I’ve also practised as a lay Buddhist for a few years, and I just started digging deep into the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Spiritual exploration is deeply important to me.  I love people, but I also really love solitude and I’m really curious by nature, so it makes sense that I set off on long rides or go get lost in a forest with a field recorder. I like feeling like I’m tapping to some other level, and cycling, spirituality, and nature all bring me to this same infinitely generative place. What's planned for 2021? Well, by the time you read this, I may have been vaccinated here in Edmonton, so without shooting too high, I’m hoping our social lives will get more permissive in the not-too-distant future. I miss patio beers. However, the more realistic answer is more audio and 3D work, and because I’m slightly masochistic, probably the beginnings of the next record. Favourite food and place to hangout? Oh boy. Get this—a four-layer Slovak bread-pastry with plum jam, poppy seed filling, walnut paste, and tart/sweet farmer’s cheese (“tvaroh.”) It is literally the most advanced taste on Earth, and has been studied by Mensa. My favorite place to hang out is anywhere I can get Sapporo lager for cheap enough. Instagram Facebook YouTube
Music InterviewsMusic News

Saint Idiot

by the partae May 19, 2021
written by the partae

Saint Idiot (Tomáš Andel) is a Slovak-Canadian art pop musician, sound designer, and multimedia artist from Edmonton, Canada.

His music has been interpreted as a deconstruction of pop; familiar forms rendered in sophisticated sound palettes, set in lush, carefully textured compositions, that are both a little futuristic and a little mossy. Tomáš’ inspirations include the multisensory worlds of artists like Björk and Bowie, the continuing legacy of bell hooks, as well as Zen, Deep Listening, ambient music, and flora.

“Talk” is the third single from the upcoming album Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future, a record that explores masculinity. Softening the heart with the grainy pastel sounds of nostalgia, “Talk” invites topics we tend to only reach for on certain kinds of days—a sitting-on-the-stairs sort of honesty, the most rewarding labor of love.

“It’s a celebration of those life-changing moments—both nostalgic and timeless—where we are really being there with a person without reservation,” Andel says, “listening fully, unpacking emotions, or learning to love and hold one another even through our disagreements.”

With a sort of skin tone sound palette, “Talk” is carried by earnest falsetto, guitar, harp, clarinet, and a host of gauzy synthesizers that are underscored throughout by an almost ASMR-like pointillism of intimate sounds. The end of the track features an excerpt from interviews titled “Conversations With Young Men,” a work in progress from documentarian Laura La France.

Where are you currently based?

I live by the tree in Edmonton.

How did you first start playing and writing music?

Apparently I had tinkling piano fingers as soon as my wrists reached over the lip of the piano, and I used to cut guitars out of paper as well. I really started as a drummer, though—I played in a fair number of bands in the past—so I’m really coming from the world of rhythm and improvisation. I loved my bands, but my creative ambitions tended to take over them, so eventually I started writing for myself. It’s for the best—I’m probably still a lousy collaborative songwriter.

What’s been happening recently?

I’ve discovered that I can rollerblade to the convenience store to buy all-dressed Ruffles, so now I pretend I’m Chip from “Baskets.”

You’ve got a new album on the way, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

I was really obsessed with “soft, human” sounds. I wanted an album that felt like skin, like a caress, something that’d get the oxytocin (the “love hormone”) flowing, ‘cause I wanted to support the potentially challenging lyrics with something both fantastic but also warm, inviting, and nurturing. At first I was obsessed with bells, chimes, wood blocks, and other “earthy” sounds—partly ‘cause I really fell in love with the almost tactile earthiness of Kilchhofer. I raided a whole bunch of antique stores for bells and tines and such. That didn’t make it on the album so much, but it got me thinking about hang drums, kalimbas, and mallet instruments (which did make it), and before I knew it I was painting with orchestral colors. I wanted to marry the sophistication, emotional pull, and rich, grounding character of harps, strings, and clarinets with the abstraction of synthesizers, to get something simultaneously organic and futuristic.

My goal with my music is to take a huge range of sounds, especially from the more experimental corners of the music world, and search for where they can intersect and still make sense. This is partly because I just love so many different types of music, and partly ‘cause I figure that I’m bound to find something interesting in these strange combinations. On this album, I was thinking a lot about Björk, Laurie Anderson, Motion Graphics, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, and Cosmo Sheldrake, and I’m also a massive fan of noise and ambient music. I guess it’s safe to say I really like music that tells stories and is deeply textural.

When will the album be released?

September 8th. After “Talk,” there’s two more singles coming on June 30th and August 11th.

How did you go about writing the album?

I was doing a lot of introspecting and inner work when I started working on Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future. I’ve been really fascinated by masculinity. I wondered why I found it so hard to identify with it for most of my life, why certain toxic tendencies coalesce in certain masculine contexts, and what kind of work men have to do to cause less harm and become happier people. As you might imagine, this is a pretty tremendous topic with a lot of traps and tricky ground, and I really tried to approach it from a radically honest and transparent place, from a pre-political place, and with all fairness to the many different and valid ways to be a man.

I was very poindexter about it and planned it out almost like an essay, with every song unpacking a specific question, problem, or struggle that I’ve had in my own healing—whether that’s my relationship to anger, or possessiveness, or the reluctance to express emotions or ask for help. As rigid as that sounds, it ended up being a really organic and iterative process. It felt like exploration, or discovery. It felt like I solved a lot of my own personal tensions and found even more helpful questions to grapple with in the future, so it was really generative.

Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?

It was entirely a lockdown record, so I recorded and produced it in my room, but I’ll try to romanticize it a little.

The truth is, my workspace and my bed are less than 2 feet apart, and I’ve had the old “wake up at 3:00am, boot up the computer, and put down a chord progression” routine happen a few times, which is to say that from a certain point of view, it is as intimate a record as it can get.

I’m sure many people who have been creating through the lockdown agree that the boundary between life and art really disappeared in the last year. In the same way a lot of us are used to living in a “50 Chrome tabs open” world, Alternate Utopias from a Nostalgic Future was always only a few steps away from where my life was happening.

I sleep in this room, relax in this room, meditate in this room, read in this room, have sex in this room, have deep, honest conversations in this room… Basically, my work on the album was in such proximity to my regular everyday life, that the life-process that is “me” and my life unfolding was fully intertwined with the process of this album coming about.

My very good friend and talented piano composer Doug Parth (With Dogs) finessed the orchestral arrangements, and the incredibly spacious and accommodating mix and master were painstakingly carved by Hill Kourkoutis and Kristian Montano, respectively. All three of these people are the kindest, most inspiring mentors you could wish for. I really look up to them and am so thankful that this album passed through the prism of their kindness and creativity.

What programs/equipment did you use?

I swear by Reaper. I also do a lot of field recording that I then process, so I got a Zoom H5 for that. Otherwise, with the exception of some Omnichord parts, the bulk of it was soft synths. I love the Melda plugin suite to death, and also swear by Obscurium. I’m always on the lookout for “weird” equipment though. I’d die for a deliciously dusty old modular synth like the EML Electrocomp 200. I love instruments that seem to do what they want to do.

Please tell us about your motivation for writing about masculinity:

When it comes to who I feel myself to be, I’ve always felt like masculinity was an awkward map for the territory. It feels tight and constricting, and like parts are missing, which was sort of my conclusion when I started thinking about it a lot.

Please understand that I’m painting in broad strokes as I answer this question, but I think that “popular” or “traditional” masculinity is often guilty of being very isolating. The “code” doesn’t encourage a lot of open, emotional, vulnerable conversation between men, or even between men and the wider society—cool, rational stoicism seems to be the vogue instead. But really, the emotional and the rational are just two parts of a whole, and my motivation is simply to draw attention to the ways in which men trapped in this restrictive paradigm can restore their whole humanity and be happier for it. I strived to write in a way that put people before politics, and encouraged a holistic kind of masculinity with two very simple goals—healthiness and happiness.

You describe the song ‘Talk’ as an invitation—what do you mean by that?

I want to encourage people who have had the faintest brush with the questions I’m exploring on this album to take the time to dig deep, answer those questions as self-honestly as they can, and then share that with other men. Although, this isn’t just for men exclusively—we can all obviously benefit from openness and humility—but perhaps it is for men especially. Or, at least, that’s who I feel I have sufficient grounds to address.

This masculinity work is certainly not new—organizations like Next Gen Men here in Canada have been holding masculinity circles and helping youth disentangle themselves from the harmful behaviours boys tend to get socialized into for years. Before I discovered them, Nora Samaran and bell hooks started me on this path. The sea change is already under way.

With “Talk” I want to help catalyze other people’s journeys. In this song, I’m saying that it’s OK to be scared—it’s tough to genuinely, voluntarily open yourself in these ways—I get it. I’m saying that I’ve gotten it wrong before too, and I’m not saying I have the answers. I’m just saying that we all have some long overdue questions to pose to ourselves, and to one another. I was no better, and I’m still doing the work. I want people to realize that the work of being a better person never stops, but it certainly starts with honest, candid dialogue.

Please tell us about how you combine your music with your own visuals:

I don’t have synesthesia, but I do have a very strong personal sense of how sounds “look,” and how visual things “sound,” and it’s something that’s both helped me sound design and compose, as well as create visuals that reflect or amplify the feel of the music. I always loved album art and cool music videos—to me they seem completely inseparable from the experience of an album. I wanted to build a really strong sensory identity for my album, so super early on, I was planning songs in terms of color palettes and moodboards. I think that in the end the sonic profile of each song matches the color palettes and imagery I’m working with when I construct my visualizers, and people have told me that together they create a really clear sense of the tone of my message.

How would you describe the genre of your music?

I’ve adopted “art pop” as a genre because to me it seems like the most flexible way to say “music that wants to surprise you and break your expectation,” without necessarily pigeonholing myself in the world of “experimental music.” I LOVE experimental music, but I know that a lot of people groan when they hear “experimental,” and in a way it’s also become a sort of loose, diluted term. When people hear “art pop,” I think they know they’ll probably get something mostly straight forward, and so they have an easier time buying in. It’s the free-est genre label for what I like doing.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

This second it’s Rafael Anton Irrasari’s Solastalgia.

What do you like to do away from music?

I love long-distance road cycling, and recently I’ve really gotten into mountain bike trail riding. I’ve also practised as a lay Buddhist for a few years, and I just started digging deep into the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Spiritual exploration is deeply important to me.

I love people, but I also really love solitude and I’m really curious by nature, so it makes sense that I set off on long rides or go get lost in a forest with a field recorder. I like feeling like I’m tapping to some other level, and cycling, spirituality, and nature all bring me to this same infinitely generative place.

What’s planned for 2021?

Well, by the time you read this, I may have been vaccinated here in Edmonton, so without shooting too high, I’m hoping our social lives will get more permissive in the not-too-distant future. I miss patio beers. However, the more realistic answer is more audio and 3D work, and because I’m slightly masochistic, probably the beginnings of the next record.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Oh boy. Get this—a four-layer Slovak bread-pastry with plum jam, poppy seed filling, walnut paste, and tart/sweet farmer’s cheese (“tvaroh.”) It is literally the most advanced taste on Earth, and has been studied by Mensa. My favorite place to hang out is anywhere I can get Sapporo lager for cheap enough.

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