Interviews – Page 10

March 9, 2020November 25, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Q&A with singer and composer Valeska Rautenberg

Berlin-based singer and composer Valeska Rautenberg has worked as a musician, producer, teacher, composer and voice-over actress for many years now and has started releasing her own music again in 2017, after taking a few years off for her private life.

She paints with sounds. Her voice creates colours. Images come alive in your mind, you wander through them, discover them, feel them. Valeska Rautenberg takes you with her – she doesn’t give you a choice other than to follow her into her cosmos of music.

See our exclusive interview with her below:

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

Ha! Me going crazy to ‘Jump’ by Van Halen in the living room after kindergarten. It was awesome, I loved that song! I guess, I must have been around 4 – 5 years old.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

Not at all. Each song has its own life and it is my task to accept that and to nourish its growth. The music I’m releasing at the moment is instrumental – neoclassical, ambient piano music – like the first single‚ ’Twilight’, off the upcoming EP‚ “Into The Still White – Songs For Piano, Wind & Water”.

My piano pieces usually start with a melody that suddenly comes popping up from my subconscious, which sparks a certain mood. Then I’ll go from there and see what happens. Or if I’m somewhere outside and I hear a sound that interests me, I’ll record it on my phone and use that field-recording as the base and play along to it on the piano.

My vocal music lives more in the realm of Trip Hop, Downbeat, and Indietronica. The starting point for me is mostly with the voice or a lyrical theme, and from there I’ll start to develop the song further. Sometimes it’s the other way around and I’ll build the beat first and let that inspire me. I guess there are no rules and no “right way”. Whatever works for you is the best way. Your job is to accept that there are a million different ways and to be open to letting the song come to you ;-).

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

I used to be on stages a lot and loved it … it’s exhausting as well, but back in the day, it was totally my thing. These days I’m more of a sound nerd. I love composing and creating sounds. It has become my language. Maybe one day I’ll be drawn back to the stage but for now, I’m geeking out over my newest plug-ins and love to create music, whether it be with the piano, my voice or any instrument under the sun.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

Oh, I was fortunate to have had a few memorable responses so far and it always warms my heart. To hear people say how much a song touched them or how they could identify with the lyrics, or how one of my songs inspired them to be creative themselves is such an enriching and powerful experience. Getting a message from a stranger from the other side of the globe letting you know they enjoy your music honours me.

One very memorable moment was when one of my songs was compared to the feeling of the cherry blossom scene at the end of the Last Samurai movie … that was quite something.

If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?

It’d span a lot of genres – from Tori Amos, A Perfect Circle, and Hozier, to Godspeed You! Black Emperor … music has to touch me, make me feel, be meaningful … no matter the genre.

Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show

Only five? Oh, dear …

Fiona Apple – Tidal

Pj Harvey – Rid of me

Tool – Ænima

Radiohead – Amnesiac

Portishead – Dummy

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

Of course, every musician wants their music to be heard … and I want that, too. I just don’t want to compromise or to step down from my musical convictions in the process.

I love being an indie artist these days … it’s a crazy jungle but it enables you to do everything by yourself, which is a lot of work, but you get to do everything the way you want to do it. That’s amazing.

Success to me is being able to create the music I want to create.

I make my living with music, I get to write my music on my own terms, and have a couple of thousand monthly listeners – that to me is already a success and I’m very grateful for that. If I were able to reach and maybe touch even more people, that would, of course, be wonderful. But in the end, success to me is simply to be happy.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

Love what you do and do what you love and support indie musicians 😉 That’s where the passion is. And thanks to everyone who’s shared, supported or bought a song from an indie artist.

Follow Valeska Rautenberg online

Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | SoundCloud

March 9, 2020November 25, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Q&A with Singer Uma Bloo

Chicago-based singer Uma Bloo had started a multi-faceted project in 2016. Focusing on emotive music and character performance, Molly Madden invented an otherworldly, immersive artistic experience.

At each event, an interactive set is built so as to bring the audience into Uma’s world for a night. Uma’s lyrics have been described as “mediations on vulnerability.” While often compared to Nico, Angel Olsen, and Florence and the Machine, Uma Bloo’s music defies traditional genre while enticing crowds into reckoning with their past.

See our exclusive interview with her below:

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

Dinah Washington’s ‘Blue Gardenia’ was on a soundtrack my parents used to play around the house. That’s the first song I remember singing along with, I wanted to be able to sing just like her. I still think her voice is one of the most singular I’ve ever heard. In the latter half of the song she sings “memories” like it’s two different worlds, or like the second half of the word sent her different from where she started. It was just such a surprise in the melody… the entire song is so special. I still listen to it whenever I need to be shaken up a bit.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

I don’t know if there are any specific steps I take when I’m writing. When I sit down with an instrument most of the time I just start exploring different shapes and chords to see what I can find. From there I try to find some semblance of a structure and sing over it until whatever I needed to express has been expressed. There’s no real trick to it.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

It’s not necessarily a preference but I think I enjoy the performance the most. At that point, the tediousness of the work leading up to a show can be let go and whatever happens, happens. It’s the exhale of it all.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

I think once someone described my music as an exorcism which I guess sounds intense but I like that sentiment, haha.

If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?

I’d like to have the kind of freedom to play whatever was calling to me at that moment.

Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show

Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits, Megan the Stallion’s Tina Snow, Pixel Grip’s Heavy Handed, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Show Your Bones, Lana Del Rey’s NFR!

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

Ideally, I’d make something I could live off of, but that seems more a dream than reality these days for most artists. Really the most that I hope for is to consistently put out music I feel passionately about for as long as I can sustain it.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

We just released a single called ‘Marguerite’s Novels’ and will be releasing another one in April called ‘Coming Home’. Keep a lookout!

Follow Uma Bloo online

Facebook | Twitter | Spotify | Instagram

March 4, 2020November 25, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Q&A with Uk-based guitar trio SEN3

UK-based new genre-hopping guitar trio SEN3 have emerged from London’s melting pot. The band create a compelling wide-screen soundworld that’s rich in melody and emotive harmonies, contemporary beat-culture and heavy riffs.

The SEN3 adventure started in 2012, when guitarist Max, drummer Saleem, and bass player Dan met at a live music night in Shoreditch and felt almost instant chemistry. They quickly started a jam band who navigated between Hip-Hop, Jazz Fusion, Funk and 70’s rock, organically developing their sound solely through playing together.

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

Being 8 years old having guitar lessons at school and hating it ha!

Listening to Nat King Cole in the car with my mum

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

We meet up improvise either freely or around some kind of template. Most of the material is put together and tested live on gigs. We don’t really come to the table with finished songs we each bring a different element and mesh it together to create a unified sound. We find the best stuff happens when we are playing freely and ultimately having fun. This tends to happen when we take a risk and try out some new unrehearsed ideas in front of an audience. We used to have a few residencies around London that we’d use as writing sessions eventually fully finished tunes came out from these performances. For us we come up with the best stuff this way – you can always tell if something is working in a live show more than in a rehearsal room. Sometimes things don’t work as well as we thought and then we go back to the drawing board. With enough trial and error we ended up piecing together the songs in a way we think works the best for an audience.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

We love making new music and getting in the studio but we are definitely a live band at heart – we love playing live and taking an audience with us on a journey. We always dig in more live. There’s an energy you get on a gig that you don’t get in the studio.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

Hard to pin that down to one thing. We are genuinely blown away that people come out to these shows and show us support. We started this band to have some fun and play out some ideas without any real preconceived plan. It means a lot to us that people keep coming back for more !. We recently played a sold-out show at Pizza express soho it just shows how far the band has come since we started this to have a laugh playing some ideas in a pub. We are really proud of this.

If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?

A mixture Psychedelic 70’s jazz-rock, Indie and minimalist electronic music

Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show

Four Tet – There is love in you

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon

Mahavishnu Orchestra – Inner Mountain flame

Madvillain – Madvillainy

Joy Division – Unknown pleasures

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

We want to travel the world with our music and meet new people in places. We’d love to play in Japan!

One last thought to leave your fans with?

We are always working on new material and taking our sound to new unknown territories – album III is coming soon!

Follow SEN3 online

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

March 2, 2020May 14, 2020 Mew Zikwryder

Interview with singer/songwriter Ang Low

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Ang Low defies easy categorisation, with the exception of one, effortless talent. With a golden voice, his is a story of constant discovery and change. From military brat and choir boy to petty thug and rejuvenated all-soul icon du jour, Ang Low has seen it all and bought the outrageous t-shirt.

See our exclusive interview with him below

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

I always have had music present. From hearing my mom sing at church or trying to create a rock band at 12. I was always interested in how music gave you feelings.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?

My songwriting process is always different. It could start from a nagging melody in my head.. a few chords on the piano.. or just a lyric I’m trying to find the right mood for. I do like to always get other producers to help me arrange after the template is laid down so I can primarily focus on songwriting and recording.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

Great question. Both have areas I’m addicted to. Studio work gets me lit because it’s like you’re lost trying to find your way out and the song is the exit. You’re always searching for a vibe or lyric or melody… it’s intoxicating like a drug or as a puzzle. Performing tho is like good familiar sex. I already put the work in to make the song… it’s practised and tuned. The only thing I’ve got to do is come lay down with it and marinate in it.

What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?

I got a response on a video the other day from this young girl saying that one of my songs had really helped through some tough situations in the past. She wrote she had been a longtime fan and always used my song to get over stuff. I’ve never thought about my work helping people like that. I mean it’s just a song I thought. But it’s so much more for others sometimes. It’s a great feeling to know that I am part of something artistic that’s bigger than me.

If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?

pop, r&b and jazz all zzay

Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show

Well first of all… I’d have myself as the first guest lol cause I’m dope… Ang Low (UP), then maybe… Frank ocean (orange), Jazmine Sullivan (lions tigers and bears, Robyn (Konichiwa) and Adele (19).

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

My goal with my music is to consistently connect with the everyday person. Being an artist means I’ve chosen to sacrifice my regular life for art and eventually I hope to get a little time back. Success means better connections with family and friends and most of all understanding myself better.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

It’s ok to fall down… you always get back UP.

Follow Ang Low online

RCRD LBL

Category: Interviews

Q&A with singer and composer Valeska Rautenberg

Q&A with Singer Uma Bloo

Q&A with Uk-based guitar trio SEN3

Interview with singer/songwriter Ang Low

RCRD LBL Music Station

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