Showing posts with label ambient. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ambient. Show all posts

Friday, 4 December 2015

Vincent Paragano Q&A

Your name: 
Vincent Paragano.

Where are you from?
I am from Yardley, PA.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
I would describe myself as an artist first and foremost. I compose and produce music. I am also an illustrator. Aside from this, I have a passion for creative writing, as well as photography. 
In regards to my music, I would describe it as atmospheric in nature. Ultimately though, my sound is influenced by a multitude of genres.

Who are your main influences musically?
Primarily, I am influenced by Depeche Mode. My other musical influences include Tears For Fears, Cocteau Twins, Genesis, Phil Collins, Drake, Illangelo, The Weeknd, Partynextdoor, The 1975, Sade, Brian Eno, M83, Washed Out, Kanye West, and The Japanese House.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Music has brought me both joy and a sense of peace. At the end of the day, I hope my music can do the same for others. Ultimately though, I hope to have a positive impact on the world through my art.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Recently, I have had the opportunity to work with the singer, Res. A few years ago, she released a cover album of Fleetwood Mac songs, Refried Mac. One of the songs she covered was “Dreams.” I am a college student studying music production. Last year, I took a production class taught by Tom Spiker, who produced Refried Mac. For a final assignment, he presented students with the option of creating a remix of “Dreams.” I chose to do this. Upon creating my remix, I wanted to get it Res, as I was wondering what she thought of it. After trying to get in touch with her earlier this year, she responded, telling me how much she enjoyed it. She then explained how she wanted to include it with rare tracks of hers as a thank you to fans who donate to her upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Following this, she asked me to choose another song to remix from Refried Mac. I decided to create a remix of her cover of “Little Lies.” I had the chance to meet with her in person this past summer when she visited Philadelphia. Looking back, I feel so grateful for having had that opportunity.
Res is such a talented vocalist and musician! I thank her for everything.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I do not want to forget anything, as everything I have experienced thus far has made me who I am today.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
As opposed to one song, I would instead recommend my debut EP, Reflections. I feel it introduces me best, encompassing the various styles of music which influence my sound.

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for updates on my work:
Twitter: @v_paragano
Instagram: vincentparagano

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
The cover of my debut EP was photographed by my uncle, Glenn Race. He brought such a unique and creative vision to the process. I thank him for everything as well.

His website can be found here: http://www.glennrace.com

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

Sykoya Q&A

Your name:
Anna Marcella.

Where are you from? 

Chicago, USA, but living in London, UK.

Name of band: 

Sykoya (inspired by two giant sequoia trees I like to sit under to write and produce music).

Who else is in your band?  

Eduardo Leal (Bass/Synth Bass), Alejandro Bonatto (Keys) and Curtis ElVidge (Drums).

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

A blend of electronic, ambient and indie pop.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Too many to name, but if I have to narrow it down...The Knife, London Grammar, Daughter, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Radiohead.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

I would love to be able to do it for a living. I love writing and producing music and I think I will always do it. It would be great to be able to live off of it fully though.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Before the project came together, I got to spend a week recording the EP at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales (some of the greats including Oasis, Queen and Rush have recorded there). I took the tracks and my productions up there and had an amazing week working with the engineers/producers in the studio who really brought them to life. This is actually where I met Curtis, who was interning as an engineer/producer there, so I really feel we started the project together. The studio is set in a beautiful remote region of Wales and is the perfect environment for creativity where you can unplug from reality and focus on music 24/7. I feel this really enabled us to come out with a great EP. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Difficulties finding a drummer...always seems to be the case! haha! We didn't initially have Curtis in the project because he was still in Wales, so we tried out a couple drummers and all fell through, but it worked out perfectly because in the end it timed perfectly with Curtis moving back to the area, so he could join the project! 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Hard to say. I think we are continuing to develop our sound, as the project is quite new, so I feel that our unrecorded songs are become more a representation, mixing the ambient, haunting vocals from the track 'Closer' with more electronic production like in the track 'Here'. But the EP as a whole still definitely represents us. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/sykoya



Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
For any UK residents reading, we have a show on October 22nd at Surya London (Near Kings Cross) and November 3rd at Cafe 1001 (on Brick Lane).

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Son Of The Wind Q&A

Your name: 
Smári Tarfur.

Where are you from? 

I'm from the West Fjords in Iceland.

Name of band: 

Son Of The Wind.

How would you describe yourselves?

Free, meditative, dreamy and ambient.

Who are your main influences musically?

Anything from Prince to Kelly Joe Phelps to Converge.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Joy.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

To discover the acoustic guitar and the wonders of trying to get closer to the now in music - to improvise, write songs on the spot.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Every moment on stage when I was consumed with what other people thought.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Wicked Girls by Belford says more than words. Well..except perhaps for the words themselves - which I definitely didn't write. Bragi, the vocalist, did that. Honestly, man!

Where can we listen to it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtqM9MyUdy0




Where can we find out more about your music? 
www.smaritarfur.com

www.facebook.com/The.Son.Of.The.Wind
www.facebook.com/BelfordMusic

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Well I'd like to ask right back at you - are there any other Sons Of The Wind out there? Or even, daugthers? Let us find me siblings!

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

New ambient album from The Gateless Gate

THE Gateless Gate have released their new album Landslag Norður Íslands (The Landscape of North Iceland). 

It is the band's third album of northern ambiance after last year's Near North and Sibir, and their eighth in total.

Canadian Allister Thompson - half of the act along with Teri-Lynn Janveau - told RealSoundsOK: "This album is an ambient music evocation of certain landscapes of the northern regions of Iceland near the town of Akureyri, which we visited in the fall of 2014. 

"We were, as most visitors are, very moved by the power of these volcanic landscapes and coastlines and decided to capture them in music."

You can listen to the album below and for more on the band visit thegatelessgate.net

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

New live show footage from Thy Veils

THY Veils have released a new video of their live show online.

It is the first full-length from the Romanian band, who play ambient celestial music.

To find out more check out the Q&A they did with RealSoundsOK in December and watch the show below.


Sunday, 22 February 2015

Martin Kristopher Q&A

Your name:
Martin Kristopher.

Where are you from?
A town in northern Germany.

Name of band:
I mainly work under the artist name 3dtorus, other outlets are Kanal Drei and DREIFALT.

Who else is in your band?
I'm making music on my own, but I love to collaborate with others.

How would you describe yourselves?
Calm, friendly and patient, with a tendency to melancholy and a brain like a serverfarm.

Who are your main influences musically?
Sonic Youth (epic track lengths and a lust for distortion), DJ Premier (Beats), an endless amount of Techno & DnB 12"s from the 90s (the feeling), Classic Dub and Reggae artists, (e.g. Lee Perry, Max Romeo, Horace Andy - because of their innovations, their love songs and their love for Jah).

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Whichever opportunity comes around, I´ll contemplate about it and say yes or no. Sky is the limit and (fortunately) music is the only thing I do.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Being able to express love, memories and emotions is definitely a huge highlight, more substantly I'd say, that people listen to my music, appreciate it, pay money for it and most important - are moved by it. Especially when it comes to my albums "Restored." and "Prag-25" which are both telling directly about my past. Thank you!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I have no really big scandal to offer, sorry. And I must admit, the rest was highly appreciated learning.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
"Graduation Loneliness" from my album "Restored." - simply because it describes the point in time which subsequently lead me to being a full-time artist by now. 

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?

Friday, 13 February 2015

LeVant Q&A

Your name: 
George D. Stanciulescu.

Where are you from? 
Romania.

Name of band: 
LeVant.

Who else is in your band? :
It’s basically a solo project as far as the production goes, but I have a lot of collaborative recording and live guests, ranging from singers (Cristina Padurariu, Anca Belciu,Theodelle) to actors (Nicoleta Lefter), dancers/coregraphers, contemporary classical musicians and instrumentalists (Darie Nemes-Bota), video-artists that bring their input into the various kaleidoscopic states of the project.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
Versatile electronic extravaganza with a dash of pop, ambient and oddball unconventional atmospheres.

Who are your main influences musically?
Contemporary classical composers, ambient, soundtracks, old school techno/club leftfield artists, IDM visionaires.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Expressive elevation and personal therapy, altogether

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
That depends: as a recording artist under the former name of Ad Ombra, one of my main accomplishments has been the release of a trilogy CD boxset through Rage in Eden records, that was largely distributed in the worldwide underground post-industrial circles.
With LeVant, probably the show at Inner Sound New Arts Festival in Bucharest, which raised my standards in elaborating a complex approach to the notion of multimedia fantasies.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Probably my first live show under the name of LeVant.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Tough one, but I’ll pick the latest single, “Unjaded”, since it intertwines contemporary classical influences and samples with a straight forward club approach. Also, probably because it’s still fresh creative meat.

Where can we listen to it?


Where can we find out more about your music?
Here you go, have a pleasant exploration!
https://soundcloud.com/levant-1 (selected audio portofolio)

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
That’s not much to be said, as it is to be felt and perceived. Music is a gift I am gratefully channeling forward to every curious ear.

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Thy Veils Q&A

Your name:
Daniel Dorobantu.

Where are you from?
Timisoara, Romania.

Name of band:
Thy Veils.

Who else is in your band?
Manuela Marches (voice), Ana Telea (guitar) and Radu Pieloiu (drums, percussion). 

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
I am a person with a constant interest and curiosity towards the nature of reality, the Universe and everything, using mainly music, photography and video art as main tools for exploration.

Who are your main influences musically?
Byzantine chants and the sound of church bells because these were the main elements of the sonic environment in the first years of my life. Then, I think the music that impressed me the most in the following years left a solid mark: Dead Can Dance, Philip Glass, Brian Eno, The Cure.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Increase the sense of awe that the process of being inspired generates.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
It was Thy Veils’ concert last September in our hometown. The location, our performance, the lights, video projections, collaborator & public, everything worked together, in excellent harmony, fulfilling the sense of “coming full circle” that defined this whole year. A life-changing experience for me.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
If there was something, I don’t remember it.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
It is Thy Veils’ Adâncime (live in the ballet room), and it includes everything I love about what we are doing right now.

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
I am always interested in knowing where other people travel in their minds or what they experience when they listen to Thy Veils so I use the opportunity to invite anyone in sharing their excursions with us. Thank you Greg :)

Monday, 20 October 2014

Logos Q&A

Your name:
Darren Francis.

Where are you from?
London.

Name of band:
Logos.

Who else is in your band?
For the most part Logos has been just me. Of late I've been joined by Jason Oliver; we've been friends for nearly 20 years and have often talked about collaborating. It's good to finally do so.

How would you describe yourselves?
Logos make unconventional music with whatever bits and bobs of sound take our fancy. I've always used the terms 'industrial psychedelia' or 'uneasy listening', to describe it, both of which I invented. Our sound incorporates elements of industrial, ambient, glitch, drone, psychedelia, and avant oddness. We've released four albums so far – our latest sounds very different to our first.

Who are your main influences musically?
Primarily the 'England's Hidden Reverse' axis of 1980s post-industrial music, Coil in particular. Also Swans, Brian Eno, Cabaret Voltaire, The Orb, This Mortal Coil, and too many others.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
You can only make the music you're driven to; don't try to second-guess what you think people might want to hear, or bend your sound to this season's fashion. Do it for yourself and with luck others will like it too.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
A repeated highlight; when the music resonates or connects with someone and they say nice things. Always a good feeling.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Not so much a moment, more a lesson; get on with things, and don't over-analyse. For example with our third album Shamania, all the tracks came together quickly but the mixing stage dragged on over two years.... Get things done, put them out, don't sit on them.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
My current favourite is probably Santa Susana Blues, the title track from our latest album, the way it starts from a nest of samples, and morphs from discordant to a thing of serene beauty.

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music?
Our website: www.logosnexus.com
On Bandcamp (stream or download all our albums here): http://logosnexus.bandcamp.com/
On Myspace (if anyone still uses that): http://myspace.com/logosmusick

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
I also write fiction and make art – you can find out more about that on my personal website at www.darrenfrancis.co.uk

Sunday, 21 September 2014

Mirage Q&A

Your name: 
Robin Nydal.

Where are you from? 
LA.

Name of band: 
Mirage...

Who else is in your band? 
There are many members, most notably Ari Balouzian of Cliff Dweller.

How would you describe yourself? 
Musical..?

Who are your main influences musically? 
Too many to count really but we really love Led Zeppelin.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
I hope to inspire people with my music.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Vegetarienism, because it's cool.

Where can we listen to it?

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask? 
Thanks for listening!!

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Retrospective release from isvisible

A COLLECTION of tracks from isvisible has been released on Small Bear Records.

The work of Simon Pott - former member of cult noise-makers The Chasms, Ways of Stephen and The Gregs, as well as head of SVC Records - isvisible combines elements of experimental, drone, synthpop, melodic and noise music, utilising modular synthesisers.

retrospective 0413-0714 serves as an introduction to the prolific artist with each track remixed, re-edited and/or remastered.

Take a listen below and down load the album at isvisiblesmallbear.bandcamp.com

You can find out more at isvisible.co.uk

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Ian Haygreen Q&A

Your name: 
Ian Haygreen

Where are you from? 
Ridgewell, Essex.

How would you describe yourself? 
Not sure, to be honest. An electronic musician who mainly uses a laptop and iPhone. Musically I range from dark ambient to electronica and occasionally Krautrock-style noodlings. Pretty much whatever takes my fancy at the time. Something like that anyway.

Who are your main influences musically? 
All sorts: Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Stravinsky, Beethoven, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Brian Eno, Klaus Schulze, Harmonia, Conrad Schnitzler, Sibelius, Atrium Carceri, Lustmord, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Stockhausen, Bach, Vivaldi - and so on. In no particular order. I listen to a quite large range of music.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
A living wage - haha! Really I don't know - I started simply to amuse myself and much to my surprise it seems to be slowly taking off - a few people are kind enough to like what I do.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Having a piece played on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction programme.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
I can't remember.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Ah, now that it difficult because it all depends on what mood I'm in. I don't know if I can pick just one - Underworld sums up the dark side, I suppose, and Early Autumn Morning Bike Ride sums up the more cheerful side (if cheerful is the word I want). I know, that's two, but there it is.

Where can we listen to it?





Where can we find out more about your music?
I'm not a big Facebook user so Twitter would be best and the the two sites listed above. Mind you, Twitter is mainly waffle with bits about the music thrown in. 

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask? 
It will probably interest nobody but I'm foolishly working on a version of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - because it has always been one of my favourite pieces of music and it represents a challenge. It's one of those projects one starts and then half way through think - why? Why did I start this? But I'm an obstinate bugger and I will get it finished in the next few weeks. Hopefully.

Saturday, 6 September 2014

Dead Leaf Echo Q&A

Your name: 
Lg.

Where are you from? 
Brooklyn, NY.

Name of band: 
Dead Leaf Echo.

Who else is in your band?
Ana, Kevin and Steve.

How would you describe yourselves? 
Nouveau wave.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Nabokov, Camus, Kafka.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Definitely not world peace because that's none of our business.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Playing with the Ocean Blue and Chapterhouse. Getting to know Swervedriver, because they are our heroes.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Our first gig was with No Doubt. Sorry it was a No Doubt cover band.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
so.wrong

Where can we listen to it? 


Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
Look for our first music video of the year for so.wrong.