Coco Symphony

2012-02-17T12:14:00.005-08:00

MILLIONYOUNG

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#softlighting #vibes #'80s influence #ambient music #dance-y beats #highly recommended !!

https://www.facebook.com/Million-Young

http://www.millionyoung.com/

Millionyoung Interview

How would you describe Million Young to those yet to be hear your music?

It's feel-good electronic music, with a lot of organic elements scattered through out. There's a lot of nostalgia in it for sure.

Which era or decade would you say has inspired your music the most ?Well, I really enjoy all music from the twenty-first century. Primarily the last half; psych-rock from the 60s, funk from the 70s, and New Wave from the 80s, and 90s hip-hop. I won't shy away from using a few jazz chords here and there either, and I've even done some renditions of Erik Satie's work from the late 1800s. I don't think of my music as being from an era, it's from now.

What is about electronic music that appeals to you ?

I love being able to mold sound into different shapes. Organic instruments are beautiful, but I like taking those sounds a step further by manipulating and bending them into something entirely new.

Is there a visual component involved in the creation of your music ?

I've always loved film scores, and there's usually some sort of cinematic element to my music. It isn't usually in a narrative sort of way, but in a more abstract sense. For me, I really feel the shapes that different sounds have, almost as if they can be touched and felt physically. I like to play a lot with texture and space in my music.

How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes?Usually I'll start with something percussive or rhythmic, just something that captures the mood I'm in at the time. From there it really becomes a lot of trial and error. I'll throw some chords then I'll sing some nonsense till a melody comes together. I'm not classically trained, so most of my music comes from a feeling rather than a method. I do have the utmost respect for people who take a more structured approach; I'd like to do that one day.

Can you talk a bit about the song “Cynthia”? There is a story behind it?With most of my music, I'll write the words over a long period of time. That usually leads to a single song being about 10 different things, different moments in my life that connect in some way. Cynthia is about all those moments near the beginning of a relationship, the constant back and forth of wondering if the other person reciprocates your feelings. It's a song about mixed signals and learning to just enjoy the high points when they come.

When did things (musically) really start picking up for you? Was it after a particular show?

I actually didn't really tour or play out of state till after I had gained some momentum. It's crazy how much power the internet has in shaping people's lives and letting people like me pursue something like this. I had been playing music for years, but it was in the spring of 2009 that I really noticed some changes after I put an EP on my Tumblr account.

What is your favorite chill wave artist right now? Have you worked with them in the past?

I've been fortunate enough to do shows with a lot of bands I like. It was great to go on the road with Jameson from Teen Daze, and I still keep in touch with Ernest from Washed Out. It's cool to have so much in common with people from such different parts of the world.

You’re also doing remixes – how do you choose which songs you like to remix ?

Most of the remixes I do are just a labor of love. It's a fun way to work with friends I've met on the road and done shows with. I just put out a collection of all the remixes I've done to date.

What can we expect from a Million Young live performance?

The live show is something that's constantly evolved. At first it was really simple, just me singing while playing guitar and messing with a midi controller. Now sometimes I'll play with a live band, still doing vocals/guitar/keyboard, but when the guys can't come on the road, I'll do a big multi-instrumental solo set where I'll be surrounded by a little bit of everything. The solo shows are as fun as they are exhausting, with me rotating from singing, to guitar, to one or two synths at the same time, to a drums, and any combination of those. I'll usually tailor the set list to fit the venue, with clubs being more focused around my dance music, and traditional rock venues being more my about my psychedelic or experimental pieces.

European tour?

I did a short 3 week tour of Europe last summer and I've wanted to go back everyday since. I love being home, I just wish it was easier to travel back and forth between here and there, hahaha. Hopefully I'll be able to pay another visit after I release my next album this summer.

Millionyoung Interview

2012-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

RIMAR

RIMAR’s music tucks in-between and borrows from a multitude of genres, including new wave, electronic, and pop ! If you love chillwavefunky music this is made for you !

http://rim4r.com/

https://www.facebook.com/rimar.xx

RIMAR's interview

So what goes on in a typical day of Rimar?I spend a lot of my time trying to make new music, working, spending time with friends & watching films and documentaries.

When did you start making any kind of music?
I first started experimenting with music in high school. A friend introduced me to djing. I branched off that, attempting to make my own mixes and remixes - which eventually led to me playing around on free beat making software. I made beats for local rappers and singers.

How do you go about writing songs? What sort of set up do you have for recording/producing?
There's no definitive way to how I make my music. It manifests itself in many ways. Sometimes a song sample will cue me in on an idea. Other times I begin by playing different melodies or designing different sounds.

Have you always written songs like this?
My music always changes. It's consistently a product of the moment - of how I feel and based off what kind of visual and musical influences I'm into at the time. My newest effort sounds similar, but very contextually different that my first ep, Higher Ground. And the project before was strictly hip hop instrumentals.

It’s evident you’ve got a love for R&B and Hip Hop. Which Hip Hop artists have influenced your
sound?
A lot of the mainstream, radio artist sculpted the way my music sounds. Kanye, Usher, Nas, R. Kelly, Alicia Keys...to name a few.

You’ve been termed as ‘chillwave’, how do you feel about it? Do you feel that you are a ‘chillwave’
artist?
It's a lovely comparison, I suppose - since so many people do feel a certain way about chillwave. It's interesting to see people trying to define music into genres and subgenres.

If you collaborate with anyone, who would it be?There's a lot of musicians I've became friends with online. I'd love to finally find time to collaborate with them... Smoke Room, Ra Cailum. They're both immensely talented.

Future plans?
I'd just like to release more music.

2012-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

CRAFT SPELLS

Californian band Craft Spells make sparky, fresh-faced guitar pop of the sort that’s always going to be perking people up !

https://www.facebook.com/CraftSpells

www.myspace.com/craftspells

Caft Spell's interview

The album is amazing, congratulations. Can you tell me a bit about when and how you recorded it?

It was recorded in California at my parent’s house during the winter of 2009. I didn’t own any instruments at that time. I borrowed most of the equipment from my friends and did all the recordings out of my bedroom only using a shitty shure mic, squire guitar/bass and a laptop.

Had you been writing it as whole for a while or was it all just pieced together from a collection of songs you had?
I started to understand the aesthetic of my writing after recording the 2^nd song. It just flowed. Song after song I started to finally find myself as a songwriter. After 2 months I had the blueprint of what would be the LP.

"After the moment" is one of my favourite cuts from the album, when you released it did you expect the reaction to be so strong to it?

Thank you!

After I wrote the song I burnt it on a mix CD to play in my car to hear it on something else other than a macbook /earbuds. Played it for my dad when I had to pick him up from the airport. He said he loved it. That’s good enough for me.

How did Craft Spells come about?
It was a Post college/Fuck my job/Back home with parents/women are terrible kind of situations.

What would you describe as your biggest influences, both musical and otherwise?
Brian Wilson of the beach boys.

How has touring been for you?
Touring has been great! I went from never leaving the state to traveling all over the world. Shit is hella crazy.

Any particular great audience while touring?

Stockholm was my favorite-hands down. They truly understand pop music with a passion.

Finally, would you be able to name your top three albums of all time?
Not my top but these are pretty high up there:

Beach Boys- "Smile", Miles Davis- "Kind of Blue", My Bloody Valentine- " Loveless"

What was the craziest thing that happen to you on stage?

During the encore someone stole my favorite hat off the stage after it falling off my head.

THANK YOU J

Thank you!

2011-12-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

TOY

One of the favourite new discoveries in 2011 has been London-based psychedelic pop five-piece TOY !
TOY have already supported the likes of The Horrors !
They play a residency at Dalston’s Shacklewell Arms on the following dates next year:
-18th Jan
-25th Jan
-1st Feb
-10th Feb

https://www.facebook.com/toy.band

TOY's interview

How did the idea to form TOY come about?
Tom, Dom and Panda had been in a band together and when that finished it was the perfect time to start a new project with a completely different approach. We had known each other for a very long time so we decided to do something together, with me adding the electronic element. Very soon after we met charlie and TOY finally was complete!

I guess a good place to start would be the beginning. I know you've just started gaining some attention and I was curious about your backstory. Had you been making music for a while before making it as TOY? (..Lean and The Jing Jang Jong).
Dom, Tom and Panda played together since they met as teenagers, before they joined their old band. Charlie had his own project and had played in a couple of bands and I played classical guitar as a child too although I just got involved with sound synthesis when forming TOY.

What about the songwriting – who writes what?
That varies a lot. Usually somebody comes with an idea, or a riff, etc and we meet up and work on it all together, add our parts and work out the structure. It's a very dynamic process, since the moment we write something till we feel the song is finished, each of us would have changed a million bits until we are completely happy with it.

What kind of music inspires you the most?
There are lots of genres that we all love, from early electronic and musique concrete to rock and roll, punk, psychedelia, krautrock, folk… I'm influenced by music like Harmonia and Eno, Can, Amon Duul II, I've been recently listening to Zeit by Tangerine Dream, but I also love Bands like MBV, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Television, Velvet Underground, to put some examples.

Can you describe the vibe of the track “Left myself behind”?
That's quite a tricky question… It's our first release so for me is very special. We recorded the demo of this song in our house quite a while ago and through rehearsals, gigs, etc has changed a lot from the original. It is a long song but when we decided to release it we knew it had to be in full format, not a radio hit but not really a problem!

I was watching your video - Is there any meaning behind having minimal stage lights?
We made the projection ourselves for live gigs so wanted it to be prominent in the video. We like how it fast it moves and, in a black dark room, all the colours are brighter and makes the whole experience a bit more intense. We had all agreed that we didn't want a story line, just a live performance, so we tried to play with everything else.

You've played a few gigs with The horrors , how did that support come about? How did it get setup that you’d play with them?
We've known them since TOY started, we are very good friends so the idea of going on tour together could just mean having a really great time, and we did!!

What are you recording or planning to release? Anything soon?
The idea is to release another 2 or 3 singles followed by a LP which we are very excited about. We are just about to go in the studio to record the second single which will be out pretty soon. In the meantime we keep on playing, writing and doing live shows. Also, we are hoping to start touring around Europe, Japan and America soon, I personally can't wait!

And finally, what ambitions do you have for the band over the next few years?
We just want to keep on playing and touring and constantly writing and releasing new songs and albums. We want to be as prolific as possible for as long as possible!

Thank you TOY !

2011-12-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

PART TIME

..A melody that recalls the unremembered 1980 !

Davida Speck makes the kind of music I wish I could make (but can’t, don’t and never will).

Take a listen to any of his songs, they are all fantastic!

Davida's interview

Where are you from ?

Texas, fucking U.S !

Your sound is very unique who makes the beat ?

I make the beat

What has influenced your sound the most?

Cool music,bands from the 90'S80'S 70'S 60' and 50'S...like the BeatlesThe cars,Dr Hooker,ZZ top,Prince,Iggy Pop, Joe Walsh,Billy Swan, Billy Ocean...just to name a few

Your single Thunderbolts of love” is incredible. There’s so many sounds in it, how long did it take to make?

It took like a day

What's the meaning behind the title THUNDERBOLTS OF LOVE?

No real meaning, it's just a line I ripped off of a song from a song writer I like. It 's from a Kim Fowley song.I'm a huge Fowley fan!!

When you were growing up, did you play any instruments? I see that you are more into the electronics side of things with a keyboard and a bunch of effects.

Guitar is my primary instrument.That's what I learned growing up,and that's what I love.A:ll the other instruments I play are just things I kinda know how to play and write songs with too

What were you listening to while making the album?

My roomate making love with his girlfriend (laugh) ..and probably some of what I mentioned in Q3.

Are you friends with any of those chillwave guys?

Some, yeah...like Ariel Pink and MattFishbeck,Sam Flax and Higher color...I don't necessarily know if I could call them chill wave though.

Describe your music in three words

Cool?Pop?Rock?

Any particular bands you'd like to tour with in the future?

Just any that are respectable and that are making lots of money!

What should we expect in the near future from Part Time?

More songs and maybe a baby and a wife too!

Merci Davida Loca ! x

Ice Choir , the 80's Revival ! Coup de coeur.

2011-12-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

For those that didn't already know, The Ice Choir is the solo project of Kurt Feldman (Drummer for Pains of Being Pure at Heart )
"Two Rings" is the first single from their untiteled debut album.

Kurt's interview

When did you start making music?
I wrote my first song when I was 10. My dad helped me.

Give me a brief history of the band
Not much history actually… We've only existed as a band since around April, 2011. I've been working on this first batch of songs (which will appear as our first full length in May, 2012) since late October of last year. A couple of them appeared on a 7" single that was released last month called "Two Rings." This is starting to sound like a math riddle…
Oh yeah, I was in a band before this called Depreciation Guild. Raphael, who plays synths in Ice Choir played in that band too. I used to teach him music lessons when he was a kid and now he's way better than me at everything and much taller. Patrick is my musical soul-mate (and roommate) and he's never played in a band before this but is an excellent synth and fretless bass player, which is why I forced him onto the stage. Avery, who plays percussion in this band, plays keyboards in Ravens and Chimes -- we went to NYU together many years ago because we're SO OLD.

What sort of musical background do you have?
I started taking guitar lessons when I was 8 and picked up drums and bass on my own shortly after that. I've been playing in "bands" since I was 11…A skill-set that is nearly irrelevant for this project, considering that i write 80% of the music on a computer.

Where did the name “Ice Choir” come from?
It's not a reference to anything. The song "The Ice Choir" came first and it seemed as fitting a band name as it did a song title. The song has personal meaning to me so I'll leave it open to interpretation. Not too long ago, I found out that there was an Ensoniq patch called "Ice Choir." How fitting is that?

How would you describe the Ice Choir sound?
Parallel universe, 1987.

Can you talk about the songwriting and recording process?
Picture me sitting in front of a computer connected to a bunch of old synths, drawing in MIDI on piano roll for several hours. Then Patrick comes in and we have a good laugh about the hilarious shit I just came up with.

What do you think about the role of music blogs?
Same as the role of bands, I suppose -- to over-saturate the "no-one-gives-a-fuck" realm. WE'RE SO GOOD AT THAT.

What are your future plans // European tour ?
Unlikely.

Merci à Kurt Feldman !

xxx