Artist of the week

Monday, December 24, 2012

Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe

Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you? 

It's really all I've ever felt at home with. I've been making music since I was a child and for some reason as I grew older I tried to deny myself music, telling myself I wasn't meant to be a performer and so on. But finally it took me over, so the music is what carries me forward and keeps me alive really.

From the distorsions and a sort of sulfurous goth of your "The Grime and the Glow" to an airy acoustic folk of the last "Unknown Rooms": what pushed you to move towards this new mood?

I feel that both albums actually vary a lot in mood. There are dark, heavy moments and there are moments of light. Some songs on Unknown Rooms were written in the same era of The Grime and the Glow and some were written just months ago; it really ranges a lot, that's why I felt it necessary to call it out as a collection of songs. 

What's your favourite artist and song?

A great moment for me was the first time I heard "Capricious Horses" by Vladimir Vysotsky - really stoic and intense and beautiful. 

Many people compare you to Soap&Skin particularly for your theatrical and intense approach to the songs: do you see yourself in this comparison? Do you know/like her music?

I have heard her music and I really like her. I don't see the comparison between our music but I wish I had written songs as good as hers when I was her age. 
Facebook Fanpage

Don't you think that a kind of intimate folk can close itself? I mean, nowdays it seems to be an obligation for alternative musicians to take up a guitar and start composing music closed in their bedroom. Do you think that is still a need to express themself or just a fashion of the moment?

I personally don't follow trends or solely compose music holed up in a bedroom. I enjoy writing and recording in various spaces. I think a lot of types of music can be something very personal and intimate, folk music included. 

What genres and artists did influence your music?

It's really all over the place! Older country - Townes van Zandt, Neil Young, Hank Williams.. great singers - Selda Bagcan, Roy Orbison.. dark rock n roll like Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.. black metal and folk like Burzum, Gorgoroth or Wardruna. 

How much the live element matters in your Music? 

Writing and recording is my favorite part of the process, and then it has to translate to something live and more physical and spiritual, something you can feel and taste.. It's important to me for the audience to have a genuine experience so I take playing live very seriously and try to let myself go in the live setting so it becomes real emotion and I can really remember how I felt when I wrote the song. 

What do you think about Music industry nowadays?

I don't think my type of brain can wrap itself around how the music industry really works. Or maybe it doesn't want to.

What is the message that you'd like to express at the people Who listen to your Music?

I try not to interpret my songs very often for the listener because I want them to find themselves in the song; to be able to find out what it means for them. 

Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays, there is something that really captured your attention lately?

Sometimes, even as a musician, I forget how special it is to see a band live, and we've had the pleasure of playing with some bands this past year that I was truly impressed and inspired by, in different ways: Sunn 0))), Boris, Ai Aso, Russian Circles.. 

Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Rolling Stones are more my vibe, but John Lennon has some fucking great songs.



CHELSEA WOLFE "SUNSTORM" from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

Inspired and the sleep


Inspired and the Sleep- Running from Inspired and the Sleep on Vimeo.
Inspired and the Sleep

Who are you?
Max Greenhalgh or my alias, The Eyelid Kid.
I live in San Diego, CA.
My day job is working as a beach lifeguard.
I’m a part time student at an irrelevant college.

Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you?
Music serves as a purpose and way of life.
Everything I do resolves around creating music in one way or another.
At times at exacts as an escape from anxiety and depressing realities.

Where and when did you start learn to play?
I started playing bass in middle school, took a few lessons before studying by myself.
In high school I started writing songs and playing bass in a few bands.

What’s your favourite artist and song?
Oof. tough.
Right now I’m obsessed with the Canadian pianist: Patrick Watson
His song “Bright Shiny Lights” is most definitely a favorite as of late.

What genres and artists did influence your music?
Playing bass I got quite into learning a bunch of soul and funk music.
When it comes to learning covers on bass those genres are usually the most fitting cause the basslines are so fat and the melodies are great.
Sam Cooke and Al Green are huge influences singing
As far as newer music goes, Dirty Projectors were a huge influence.
Learning Patrick Watson covers on piano has been super helpful as well.
Facebook Fanpage

How much the live element matters in your Music?
It all translates back to the live show. If you’re an artist that should be a priority.
Of this album we just released, we’ll only be playing a few songs of it live cause we’ve written a bunch of new material that’s more fitting for the live setting.

What do you think about Music industry nowdays?
Making money with recorded music has plummeted except for licensing on TV, movies, etc.
This is one reason the live show is so important.
Then again the internet has opened up many opportunities for underground musicians to get heard worldwide instantly.
In all I think the truly unique and genuine music we’ll naturally expand itself when exposed online.

What is the message that you’d like to express at the people Who listen to your Music?
To accept the polarity of life as it comes.
The good with the bad. The light with the dark. The inspired with the sleep per say.

Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays?
I think the artists that carry a strong defining image in their music are the ones that can communicate the most to an audience in their music. Not by a press photo or their style, but the actual image within the music itself.
Although I’m not much of a fan, Lana Del Rey is a perfect example of this. Dirty Gold makes you feel like your sipping pina coladas out of a coconut.

What is your favourite book and movie?
Favorite moive: The Big Lebowski, The favorite book (at the time): Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
In ten years I hope I have found a medium of happiness and purpose in my ventures.

Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Beatles hands down.



.









Saturday, December 22, 2012

Bodez

Bodez

Bodez are the combination of Chrome Kids founder Kaptin and fellow CK family member Leon Piers aka Falcon Lake (also half of 22/22). Both well versed in hyping up raves, this new incarnation represents their bigger and grimier side from sub-heavy dubs to full on cracked out synth journeys.

Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you?
Leon - I make music quite simply because I was so inspired as a youngster by so many different artists that I could do nothing but teach myself how to do it.
What’s your favourite artist and song?
Leon - That’s a big question. I’d have to go with my all time favourite which is Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson. The Weekend do a good cover too.
Kaptin - It changes depending on the time of day, what mood I’m in, what I had for breakfast, where I am in the world, who I’m with and what hat I’m wearing.
What genres and artists influenced your music?
Leon - Wow. Where do I start, everything from John Carpenters synth jams, to percussion from random Catalonian music. One of the main reasons I started producing music was because of Bristol band Portishead though.
Kaptin - I think anything you do is influenced by everything you’ve heard but I’d say the most obvious influences with Bodez are probably Garage, early Dubstep, Trap, Techno, House, Hip-hop and the kind of cross breed electronic material that we play on the Chrome Kids show.
How much does the live element matter in your Music?
Leon - Me and Kaptin were discussing this only the other day in the studio, we feel music does need a human element even though most of what we do is electronic, some human vocal or percussion can give a song so much more feeling.
Kaptin - It would be quite nice to put a live show together but it wouldn’t be just for the sake of it, you’re promising an extra level of engagement when you take something live and you have to deliver that. I used to play with a few live bands and the buzz you get from it is incredible though so if we could translate it properly I’d be well up for it. Leon’s taking his Falcon Lake project live at the moment, which is a lot more suitable, that’s going to be huge when it drops.
What do you think about the Music industry nowdays?
Leon- Most people will bitch about it. Admittedly the top 40 is plagued with nonsense, however small and mid sized labels are thriving I’m pretty sure vinyl is selling better than it has for years. if people are willing to make the effort and look past the bullshit that is spoonfed to them, there are thousands of great artists and labels to be found.
Kaptin - To be honest I probably don’t pay as much attention to it as I should. Most of the labels and artists I deal with don’t even feel as if they’re part of an industry, they feel a lot more organic and independent but then I think there comes a point when you have to look at what you do as a business too, or it just gets swallowed up. I’ve heard a ton of major label horror stories from friends but I think beyond that, artists are generally starting to get more control over what they do, which can only be a good thing.
What is the message that you’d like to express at the people Who listen to your Music?
Leon - Well, we make music to dance to. And you don’t find many unhappy people dancing. So I guess the message is, be happy :)
Kaptin - Yeah, ‘be happy’ is a solid message, unless something is really sad, then to wander about being all happy is a little bit obnoxious. I don’t think we really have a particular agenda for what we want people to get through the music, like any art it’s open to interpretation but my general message for life is don’t be a dick, unless it’s really funny and be yourself…unless you’re a dick.
Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays?
Kaptin - I don’t think there’s a scale for how relevant a musician is but certainly some of the ones that stand out to me at the moment are people who have managed to cross over to a variety of audiences without compromising their sound or who they are. Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar and TNGHT stand out as having done that in particular. Also I love artists like Daedelus for constantly pushing boundaries and buttons.
What is your favourite book and movie?
Kaptin - Again, I really don’t have a favourite anything. No favourite colour, favourite pair of socks or favourite food. I do tend to love books by Tom Robbins, Louis de Bernières or Walter Mosely though, they’re generally a safe bet. I’d say I love about 85% of the films I see in some way and the percentage is probably higher for books. If I’m really not feeling something I’ll leave it pretty sharpish.
How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
Leon - On a boat.
Kaptin - Well if you’re on a boat then you’re going to need a Kaptin so I’m in. Seriously though, I used to have a real problem with seeing further than the next week but now I think in 10 years time I’ll have taken a step back from doing music (though I doubt I could ever give it up) and be concentrating more on documentary film or photography of some kind, and possibly writing.

Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Leon - Stones. Always.
Kaptin - Love them both.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Oskar Schuster


Who are you?

I’m Oskar, I live in Berlin and I create music.


Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you?

I always wanted to create things instead of just consuming them. I didn’t have TV and when I got my first computer as a child, I didn’t use it much to play games but started right away to program my own little games. When I was about 14, I changed from programming to composing music and later I changed again to writing short stories and drawing. But music turned out to be the thing I could do best. So some years ago, after I moved to Berlin, I decided to focus on it.


Where AND when did you start learn to play piano?

I started to play around on the piano that stood in my parent’s living room as a little child. When I got into school, I started to take classical piano lessons.


What’s your favourite artist and song?

It’s always hard to pick just ONE… Beirut - “Postcards from Italy” maybe, if I really have to pick one. Because it expresses the feeling of nostalgia so perfectly well.



What genres and artists did influence your music?

Just about every genre, but most evidently: classical music, Sigur RĂ³s, Beirut (for the song structures and composing techniques mainly), Pogo (for the use of samples in order to create beats) and Yann Tiersen.


How much the live element matters in your Music?

So far I don’t play live at all, so at the moment it doesn’t matter.



What do you think about Music industry nowdays?

I don’t know much about the music industry. I think it’s changing a lot because of the internet, just like everything is changing because of the internet. It’s easier for unknown artists now to gain attention without the help of big labels.



What is the message that you’d like to express at the people Who listen to your Music?

I don’t have a message, I just want to create something that is a bit magical.



Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays?

Oskar Schuster 
There’s so many musicians and so many different genres. It’s hard to say. Maybe the ones that define their own genre are the most relevant, at least to me. The ones that really create something of their own and stay innovative.



How’s the new album proceeding?

Quite well, most of the song ideas are nearly finished and I’ll soon start with recording and arranging them. It will be quite different from my first record, “Dear Utopia”, which was kind of a process of searching my own sound. Now it seems, I found it.


What is your favourite book and movie?

Anything by Kafka. And I love Tim Burton movies such as ‘Edward Scissorhands’. But at the moment my favourite is ‘La science des rĂªves’ by Michel Gondry.

How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

I prefer to think about the present and near future. So I don’t know. Still making music I guess. Or writing children’s books. That’s something I want to do when I’m older.
Beatles or Rolling Stones?
The Beatles, they were so much more innovative and changed music history forever.

Killerball


This is our interview with Killerball, their new single “I Can’t Find It” is out today worldwide on Amazon, Itunes, Spotify, etc.  You can reach them on facebook http://www.facebook.com/Killerballmusic or on their official website www.killerball.se


Hope you enjoy our conversation. 

Who are you?
Killerball. The Swedish band that play anywhere, anytime, and always make the most of it! We play rock clubs, arenas, livingrooms, parties, streets, squares, fountains, towers, mountains. You name it! :)
Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you?
It’s a way to put down your creativity on paper. To create some kind of discussion, interaction, feelings and emotions for the listener. But sometimes (most of the times) you write something that you, in the end, only keep to yourself, or throw in the garbage bin. And some songs you want to share with others, and then you record those songs and play them live. Sometimes songwriting actually feels like a strange kind of compulsive behavior too…
It’s fun to write songs. It’s like when you painted pictures when you were a child. It felt like you did something meaningful and good, and you could use your imagination and create what ever you wanted. It’s kind of the same thing.
What’s your favourite artist and song?
Wow. That’s too hard to answer! We’ll get back to you in 50 years. But for now, let’s say: Eros Ramazzotti - Quanto Amore Sei
What genres and artists did influence your music?
Bluegrass/Folk/Americana/Blues/Rock’n’Roll/Grunge/Indie/Pop/Garage/Funk/Hardrock/Pop. A big mashup of every genre that contains good songs (which probably is every genre in the world. Except Eurodisco! ahaha)
We’ve seen that you often play acoustic version of your songs (such as “I Can’t Find It”). Can we talk of two different souls of Killerball? An electric one and an acoustic one?
Yes that’s true! We played rock clubs for many years, we are very influented by the 90s rock scene, and it is so much fun to headbang and ROCK OUT in the rehearsal studio, but after we’d recorded our first EP, we wanted to go on a tour through Europe. We were very late on booking gigs, and all the venues in Europe were full booked, so we decided to take our acoustic guitars, and a box for the poor drummer. And taught ourselves how to sing in harmonies. Then we packed our car and did a European tour without any booked concert, but only on the streets. We sold out on all of our CDs and could pay for the whole trip only by playing! Yeah!
Talking about “i can’t find it”, we’ve seen on youtube an awesome video taken in Salinas, Spain in which you play that song for an Old couple: do you remember that episode?
Yes that was at the last destination of our EU-tour, and we lived in a house with some friends from Sweden who were visiting. One of them is a good journalist and photographer, and he talked us in to do a “random-spontaneous-surprise-walk-straigh-into-unknown-peoples-house-music-video” and so we did, and that video is the result of that. We had never met the old couple before, so it was as amazing to us as it is for the people who watches the clip!
How much the live element matters in your Music?
Very much. We record everything live. We want everything to sound like it’s actually played. No Macbooks and overproduced effects. Just good and true. If it sounds good on the street or in our livingroom, it’s gonna sound good everywhere! 
What do you think about Music industry nowdays?
It’s very different from a couple of years ago when people actually bought CDs in the record stores. Now the possibilities are million times bigger to reach many people, but the competition from other bands is also a million times bigger!
You have to find a smart way to reach out to people. And to reach out to the music business. 
Jonathan, our drummer, started for instance studying music business to learn how the music business really works from the inside. And to get a good network. That has really helped Killerball to slowly get the big wheels to start turning in the pursuit of a ROCK STAR LIFE! ;)

Also the street shows are very appreciated and helps Killerball to grow a steady fan base.

What is the message that you’d like to express at the people Who listen to your Music?
If a song is good, it will be good in every clothing. We have chosen to un-mask the music and play it / perform it in a simple way. But with a lot of heart and soulful vibe. 
Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays? We’ve seen you covered some artists such as Mumford &Sons and The Black Keys..
We love Mumford and Sons and The Black Keys. They seem to do music that they like themselves. And they write very good songs without focusing on being too over inventive, and weird. Just keeping it pretty simple and down to earth. We like that. But still: they are DAMN GOOD musicians. But as we said earlier: we like A LOT of bands! From all genres. And from all times.
What is your favourite book and movie?
The only things we read are the subtitles on the only movies we watch - “Rockumentaries”.
How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
Still hanging out, and writing as good music as we can! And hopefully we have some people that like what we do and pay to listen to it, so we can pay our rents from that.
Beatles or Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Beatles. Of course!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Facebook and Tumblr

Monday, December 17, 2012

Sumuo



sumuo
Why do you make Music and what does it mean for you?  


I’m making music to share different stuff from the mainstream and to push the limits of emotions as much as I can to bring shivers, tenderness, joy, sensualities, peaceful feelings and…. the hope, more hope for everybody !

What’s your favourite artist and song? 


Too many songs are importants for me but my favourite artist is without any doubt Ryuichi Sakamoto 


What genres and artists did influence your music?  


Many artists in a very subtile way because all forms of arts and beauties in my conception are an influence for my music. I prefer mentioning specific songs like The needle and the damage done by Neil Young as Le Fou by Sugizo for example, or The carnival is over by Dead can Dance. My taste in music are too wide. Regarding the style of music, I’m a children of 80’s, synthpop, new wave, movie soundtracks, english and french punk/gothic and more was very influents on me, with time I became very attracted by abstract hip-hop too. I think it’s the most innovative style today and finally since many years.

How much the live element matters in your Music?  
Composed on piano with my super “mind orchestra”, After all of that: finalizing on pc 


SoundCloud
What do you think about Music industry nowdays? 
Don’t wanna talk about that, I’m an independant artist for the moment and it’s perfect,  


What is the message that you’d like to express at the people Who listen to your Music? 
Just a big thanks and if you feel just one of the emotions I mentionned in the first question, I’m the happiest man in this world.  


Who do you think are the most relevant musicians nowdays? 
Since two years I wanted to keep it secret but it’s time to mention Holy Other. And a huge respect for Taquwami because his music is a perfect breath of hope !

What is your favourite book and movie? 
Book: Confessions of a mask, movie: Max et Jeremy 


How and where do you see yourself in ten years from now? 
No idea, only the present, always the present, life is fragile and precious. 


YouTube
Beatles or Rolling Stones?


Beatles forever