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Interview with Dutch singer Bobbi

Dutch singer Bobbi toured the world as a member of the band Zazi. Together with Zazi, Bobbi performed shows all across the globe: the American Westcoast, Canada, Cape Town, Saint Petersburg and South Korea. 

The Song ‘L’Homme de Fer’ is an ode to Bobbi’s ex-boyfriend. In this song, she describes his character full of fire and is kindly mocking and teasing him. Even though he seems tough Bobbi knows, he actually has a big heart.

See our exclusive interview with the singer below

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

Feeling extremely and emotionally touched by hearing the music of Swanlake so that I remember crying out of happiness and intense sadness about the story. Also ‘The Sound of Music’ made a huge impact on me as a young girl. My father taking me to one of his concerts, and being in front of this huge stage, the experience of being amazed and touched by the music and desire to be performing and becoming a musician like my father. To be able to touch through music… So I started to play the cello and sing!

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

I need to tell my story, in French it felt most sensual, and it had the perfect sound for ‘An Ode to ‘L’Amour’. I knew I wanted to write with Gerry Arling, so I co-wrote my album “Un Jour” (releasing May 8th 2020) with him. Finding subjects to write about went very natural, every song became a new chapter, and had its own specific mood and sound. Together with my French coach Cristal G., We worked and the songs and she created the lyrics based on my stories for the album. An album about love, lust and desire, all kept in one day “Un Jour”.

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

It was a very long and intense project, now that I am looking back, I am already working 3 years on this album and the release will finally be this year! As much as I loved the studio work and creating the album, recording live and working with amazing musicians (Denis Benarrosh on Drums, Nicolas Fishman on Bass, all keys and authentic instruments from the ’60s and 70’s played by Reyn Ouwehand (The Producer) a string quartet (Quinetique String Quartet) and French Horn (Romain Bly). Above I love the interaction between my music and the audience when it all comes to live.

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

Just feeling goosebumps, shivers and tears of joy all at the same time! Only music can do this to human beings, it connects our brain to our heart, our soul, and our deepest feelings.

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

I would play a sequence that reflects life, from being born, and death, and everything the universe beholds in between, to finally being reborn again. All told through music.

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

Kate Bush ~ ‘Never Forever’

Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg~ ‘Melody Nelson’

Beatles ~ ‘White Album’

Yma Sumac ~’Mambo’ 

DangerMouse & Daniele Luppi ~ ‘Rome’

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

To take you with me in my dream, my own Bobbi universe. About how to be true to my most desired feelings, to be loved, sexually free from any fear, to be able to bring my music through performances all over the world, To be my own Muse, and finally to become immortal through my music.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

Go find your inner desire and follow your dreams. Never be afraid of your own strength, and don’t try to be like ‘someone else’. You are unique!

Follow Bobbi online 

Facebook | Instagram

Five minutes with Soul Gem, the genre defying musician

New York-based Soul Gem has released his latest single, ‘Miles Away’ in collaboration with Norweigan duo Kasket Club. ‘Miles Away’ was released with a B-side, ‘Self Control’ via Uppwind Records on 24 January. While ‘Miles Away’ has already received significant recognition with its upbeat and modern take on indie disco meets French house, it was ‘Self Control’ that stood out for us, with its soothing and organic sounds.

Working as part of a collaboration is something that Soul Gem has great experience with, having paired up with Norwegian rapper and producer Pasha. The two toured the world together, collecting millions of plays and exploring their own musical horizons. Pasha and Kasket Club fall into vastly different genres, the one embracing hip hop and the other chillwave.

Naturally, we were keen to discover more about Soul Gem and his ability to produce catchy songs in so many genres. 

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

Playing the drums to troopers by Iron Maiden

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

I usually start with playing piano/synth and try to come up with a cool chord progression. After that, I normally go straight to the microphone and jam out different vocal ideas. From there, I just keep building the track with more sounds.

‘Self Control’ reveals a more organic sound than ‘Miles Away’ with its electronic embellishments. Which direction would you personally like to move towards, as a producer?

I think ‘Miles Away’ is a more interesting path, most of the time. The type of energy that ‘Self Control’ represents is something that doesn’t happen that often when creating in the studio. I have to feel a certain way, and normally I prefer more positive tones 🙂 

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

Creating music.

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

I can’t remember a specific response, but in general that I made someone’s day 🙂

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

House, Indie, funk 

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

  1. Earth, Wind and Fire 
  2. Washed Out
  3. Toro Y Moi
  4. Parcels
  5. Jungle

You previously worked alongside Norweigan rapper Pasha before collaborating with Kasket Club on ‘Miles Away’ and ‘Self Control’. What are some of the most striking differences when working with these musicians?

Just the different energy they bring to the room. Also, with Kasket Club it’s more about producing and creating the whole song, while with Pasha it’s usually more about the vocals and getting ideas around that.

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

Success to me is just having fun with it. My long term goal is to create more music for commercials/movies. Would also love to collaborate with different artists from around the world. 

One last thought to leave your fans with?

Thank you 💛

 

 

Follow Kasket Club:
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Interview with singer/songwriter KaiL Baxley

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter KaiL Baxley shares the video to his latest single, ‘Beneath The Bones’. The video premiered on Atwood Magazine. ‘Beneath The Bones’ is the second track off of his upcoming third LP, out early 2020. 

The self-produced album was recorded at the late Elliot Smith’s New Monkey Studios and United Studios in Los Angeles, California. Check out our exclusive interview with KaiL Baxley.

Describe your sound for us. What do you want people to feel when they hear your music? 

Hopefully authenticity and truth

Which 3 artists have influenced you the most growing up?

Otis Redding, The Rza, John Frusciante

How did you discover your particular sound?

I was busking for beer money and suddenly realized I could sing.

What are the most important pieces of equipment to you?

Just a guitar and a notebook really. Maybe a simple tape recorder to start.

What outside of music inspires you to create?

So many things. Mainly the simple ones, little interactions between people, the way light contorts through a pane of glass, a beautiful woman, the perfect avocado. Things like that.

If you could work with, or perform alongside any artist living or passed, who would it be?

James Brown hands down

Most artists say that if they weren’t artists they would be mailmen/women… what would you be?

A neurosurgeon

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

Well there’s a brand new album out  early 2020 I’m excited about and we’re building a lot of stuff around it

Follow KaiL Baxley online 

Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram

Interview with singer/songwriter Loneshark

22-year-old songwriter and music producer Johnny Vitale started a solo project Loneshark and after finishing his work with his band Monkey Trap, Vitale grew tired of making true-to-form hard rock. He was musically defeated, battling himself to write more guitar-driven tunes and stay true to an “analogue” sound. 

This was understandable; he grew up off of a steady diet of guitar rock from bands like FIDLAR, Wavves, Beach Fossils, and The Drums. Loneshark has a keen eye for finding spectacle in the humdrum of our modern world.

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

I started making really mediocre songs in Garageband when I was about 8 years old. After that, I picked up the guitar for the first time around 9. My whole life has been plugging a guitar into a computer ever since.

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

Like if you took the Mona Lisa and set it on fire.

What are some of your key musical influences?

A lot of my influences have been all over the place, but I’ve been playing a lot of David Bowie, David Byrne, Lou Reed, and Prince. I enjoy how performative a lot of their work is. The kind of characters they developed over the years is inspiring.

What’s on your current playlist?

I’ve been really into early house music lately. Mostly the stuff that was coming out of Chicago in the 80’s like Mr. Fingers, Frankie Knuckles, and Larry Heard.

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

A lot of my songs start on guitar. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 9 years old so it’s the instrument I can navigate most easily. Other than that, I don’t have a defined creative process.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

I really enjoy writing songs in the shower. I wrote the chorus for “Bringing Me Down” in the shower, actually.

As an artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

I wish that people would listen to music for music’s sake, and not just listen to songs and artists that they think will make them look cool when they tell their friends about it. I think it’s great that playlists becoming the dominant way that people discover new artists, but I just hope that people will continue to branch out and find new stuff that’s unlike anything they’ve heard before.

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

Success to me would mean being able to create music every single day without having to worry about providing for myself. That’s the ultimate goal. Otherwise, I want to be original. I want to make music that’s unlike what you’ve heard before.

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you in the near future?

I’m currently working on a few more singles and am hoping to have my first EP out sometime next year.

Famous last words?

Never too serious. Not to be taken lightly.

Follow Loneshark online 

Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify