DJ Interviews: House Of Seb

 

How'd you get started in music?

Hello, I’m House Of Seb, French Electronic and House Music Producer located in south of France. My music journey started at a very young age, end of 80s, at the early beginning of the House Music & New Beat that we could hear in famous Belgium Clubs. At this period I started with a small computer to produce piece of electronic music, loops, that I used when I Djing with friends during small parties. Then due to other priorities in my life, I put the music production on the side, to come back in 2020 during the first covid lockdown. I invest in hardware, software, and I start to think about a first song to distribute that I named « Departure » as my start in the music production. 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Clearly the House Music have always been inside me, and even if my initial immersion was in House Music Belgium Club, I have a big feeling with Chicago House Music style where I took my inspiration. Frankie Knuckles,Mike Dunn,Jamie Principle, are the main artists that I listened in loop during a decade, and still today as references. 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

To produce, produce, produce…read, read, read music books, and learn, learn, learn without moderation.

 Indeed, it’s hard to immediately produce good music. And it’s worst to finish a track as you are never satisfied of yourself during the production/mixing/mastering phase. There is always knob to tweak or EQ Adjustment that can change the picture of your song. Also 1) produce a lot to progress even if you are not 100% satisfied 2) read a lot to know about the music theory and business marketing 3) learn a lot following video tutorials to quickly understand best practices and stay up to date. 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I would say that I produce music I love. I built my own style, my universe, my own sound signature in the house music genre. As Electronic music exists since decades, and due to the big number of existing Bedroom producers,  it’s more and more difficult to differentiate. I’d say that the only one persons who can decide about where I am categorized are my listeners and fans. And you how would you set myself in the electronic music production ? :-)

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

As you can see in my discography, I tried to build a thematic approach for my music. As mentioned earlier, « Departure » is like a start for me in music production. I decided then to produce tracks linked with the four universe fundamental elements. I created « WARM » to represent the fire, « World » to represent the earth, and « Deep Breath » to represent the air.. I have still to think about the last element representing the water to have the complete picture. 

The 30th April I released my latest song « Come On » which is a dance music track associating impressive vocals with funky bass and House Saxophone. With that track I wanted to prepare everybody to the summer and holidays, providing them freedom due to our current Covid Lockdown Environment. I have also melodies in mind and ideas to produce a Techno-House track in a near future. 

I take the opportunity of this interview to Thank you very much all people following and listening my music. It encourages me to pursue and provide good contents . Let’s stay connected and Take care of you !. House Of Seb

DJ Interviews: Decan Usmic

Here's my interview with Decan Usmic 

I have always loved listening to music from a very young age and my parents were always playing music at home or in the car. Not many people know this but I was diagnosed with Autism when I was 2 years old and this affected my ability to communicate. I was not able to talk until  I was 5 years old but I could memorise and sing every word of a song. so I was singing before I was talking. Music has always been my life and helps me cope with every emotion. I was first introduced to producing music 3 years ago  through a charity based at my school called Nordiff Robbins who specialise in music therapy. They arranged for a well known Scottish Singer/Songwriter called Horse Macdonald and her producer to come into school and teach us production techniques. The song we recorded together is called Dark Colours and it is the only song I have ever been part of that I sing. I have been producing my own music since that collaboration now  in my final year at school and heading to college later this year to learn more about sound production.

My family are a big inspiration to me because they have supported and encouraged  me in every aspect of my life. I have struggled so much with finding my way through life  and struggling with low self esteem among other things,  but knowing I am loved unconditionally has given me strength to do better.

I have many musical influences. The band Keane, which not many people know of was the first band I listened to non stop. As I grew older I began to listen to so many different genres. There are too many artists to mention but The Beatles, Pink Floyd, ELO, Pink, Melanie Martinez, Alan Walker, San Holo, Madeon and the amazing Porter Robinson have been my biggest influences to date.

The advice I would give is to follow your dreams. Times will get tough but everyday is a new day and each new day brings hope. My parents were told by my first school that I was unteachable but through not giving up and following my dreams  I have proved them wrong. A song I listen to everyday is Mirror by Porter Robinson. Here is a verse from the song that I find   uplifting and gives me inner strength. I hope this helps you in some way  too. 

Sometimes, the inner voice is encouraging

Calling for you to run those final few yards
You're nearly there
Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going

It will all be OK in the end 

At this present time I do not set myself apart from other bands or singers as I am at the beginning of my journey and have so much still to learn. I have made so many musician friends via social media and the one thing I have learned is we are all in this together and only wish the best for each other. 

I have never held or  been part of a gig.... but this would be a dream come true. I would love one day  to be a DJ and play  music that makes people happy and come together. 

Watch this space who knows what the future holds. I want to thank you Dizzy Storms for inviting me to do my first ever interview/blog. 

This is a dream come true and I will be forever grateful.

Special thanks to you too sir & lots of luck & to you all out there I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay awesome & rock n roll!

DJ Interviews: Last Snow

 

How'd you get started in music? We have all been playing instruments and involved in music from a young age. As a band we came together as a three piece after performing together in some other bands. It just seemed like the right combination. We get along well and have a similar outlook on music and the band! Who are your inspirations or influences? Our inspirations are many and varied. We draw from The Cure, The Misfits, Iron Maiden, Husker Du, Peter Murphy, Robyn Hitchcock, and so many more.  What advice would offer aspiring performers? Well, the hard truth nugget is what we would offer. The music industry has opened up with digital distribution. Now anyone can get their music out there. This is great news for the indie musician! But here is the hard truth: you most likely will not make a living off your music. Make sure you work on getting a good day job to support your music. Otherwise you will have a hard time affording the production costs associated with producing solid recordings and promoting them!! How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers? Good question. This is something every musician should ask themselves if they want to be noticed! First some cliche: we put the music first. What we mean by that is this: as mentioned earlier, we have a wide spread group of inspirations. We love music and decided we don’t want to be nailed down to specifically to any particular genre beyond “rock.” So we bring elements from a very eclectic musical background to produce a sound that is very much Last Snow! Any new gigs or albums in the future? The COVID stuff has affected us as it has many bands. As a result, we are just recently getting back together regularly and in person. We hope to be playing shows by mid or late summer and definitely have a few new songs brewing!! The hope is to release a new EP sometime next year! www.lastsnowband.com www.facebook.com/lastsnowband

DJ Interviews: Endless State

Hey there everyone 

 I got started back in 1995,when I got my first drum kit for Xmas and started a band with my college friends,I’ve been drummer for a few bands since then,mainly a band named Novice who where quite well known here in Northern Ireland.Novice split back in 2012 after I moved out to California to live,and once homesickness kicked in,I returned home late 2013..Novice never reformed so I decided to go solo and start ENDLESS STATE.

My influences are the UK synth sounds of the late 70s and 

80s,bands like Depeche Mode,The Cure,Human League,Siouxsie and the Banshees as well as heavier bands like The Sisters of Mercy and The Seattle Grunge scene..mainly Nirvana.

My advice for any aspiring performers out there would be to just follow your heart and go for what’s right for you! Pick up a guitar and just mess about with it till it makes a noise that’s good enough to start writing your own material,it doesn’t matter how badly you play as long as it comes from the heart and your passionate about what your doing!

I set myself apart from other performers because I’ve been at this for 26 years now and the others seem to be half my age! Lol seriously though,my sound is slightly old school..industrial,synth with big drums and heavy melodic guitars!! It’s very 80s in places as that’s when I really 1st fell in love with music.

I don’t have any gigs coming up as I tend to be a recording artist and give the world my music that way..I do however have a new Album coming out next month! ‘END OF DAYS’ drops on June 11th and will be available to download on all digital platforms.

DJ Interviews: Reckless Velvet

 

How'd you get started in music?

 

Well, when I was 15, my Mother bought my brother a Casio keyboard. Whilst we were at the music store, I said I wanted one too. However, she couldn’t afford another one, so she said how about that acoustic guitar? I said “No”, and we walked out of the store. Once outside, I decided to take the offer of the guitar. I got home and started practising my fingers off!

 

 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

 

ACDC are my biggest influences, never really followed any music until I heard Back In Black, WOW did that fire me up! Love Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Deep Purple, Guns n Roses, Harry Connick Junior, some classical music too and blues.

 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

 

Have a go, have fun, try your hardest, don’t take yourself too seriously. Get honest feedback on your work, it’s the only way you can improve.

 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

 

I don’t try to. I just make music that comes to me, I make music that I like. But I also try to make my music easy for singers to write and sing to.

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

 

No gigs, but have just released an album in January with Shawn Sidetrack called “Fractured” and another album with Gabrial Kanka called “Inside Outside”. Also some singles just released to

DJ Interviews : Wily Bo Walker

 Hey there guys DJ Dizzy here & this is my interview with singer Wily Bo Walker

How'd you get started in music?

Both of my parents were Classically trained pianists so there was always music in the family. And as church members I would perform in Sunday school concerts. 

My first outing on stage, I was about 5 or 6 years old, I sang 'King of the Road' and '16 Tons'. (I still throw those songs in my live sets from time to time for fun

My sister was a huge Beatles fan so she introduced me to more popular music and from there I gravitated towards more rock and blues acts - Cream, Fleetwood Mac etc.

I wanted to play electric bass like Jack Bruce in Cream so saved up for a bass guitar and formed a wee band with a chap called Peter Vettesse, who went to the same school as me. We played pop and soul covers back then. (Peter went on to big things and eventually played with Jethro Tull)

Who are your inspirations or influences?

Through the years my influences have ranged from Louis Armstrong through Ray Charles, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Gil Scott-Heron through to Curtis Mayfield via Marvin Gaye, Dr John and a load of New Orleans based artists as well as artists like Jason Isbell, John Hiatt,  Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli (I love The Afghan Whigs!).

And millions more great songwriters and artists. Main criteria for me are the lyrics 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

Keep on perfecting your craft!

It is literally a never-ending learning curve. And all parts of that curve are enjoyable so keep doing what you are doing!

Listen to everything  - follow your own muse and stay true to yourself. 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

I guess my vocals are pretty distinctive. 

That and my creative ethos of ’never worshipping the ashes but always preserving the flame’; I always endeavour to twist new directions from what can be seen as well trodden paths

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

Indeed, if there has been one good thing come out of this terrible year of Covid and lockdowns etc, it’s that I have managed to finish a lot of my studio work

This past year I have released two albums; ‘Ain’t No Man a Good Man’ (which has just been nominated as Best Blues-Rock CD in the Independent Blues Awards 2021) and ’Tales of the Mescal Canyon Troubadours’.

Looking forward I have two more albums I am finishing in my ‘Welcome to VoodooVille’ world - ’Some People Kill for Passion’ which will be out later this year. And ‘Drinking to Forget’ which is scheduled for early 2022. (The releases may be reversed depending on Mescal Canyon Records’ scheduling)

I am also producing up a theatre show ’The Rattlin Bone Burlesque Theatre Show’ which will also have a double album attached to it. That’s been delayed by all the theatre closures of this past year so we are looking at the end of 2022 at the earliest for that to proceed.

DJ Interviews: Storm of Crows

 

How'd you get started in music?

 

Me (Matt) and Jimmy were both teenagers when they decided to learn to play music, both more or less teaching themselves, Paul was only four when he started to learn from his father. Me and Paul were in the same year at high school and ended up forming a band with another friend who eventually left and a few years later went on to sell four million records as a solo artist before dying in a plane crash in bad weather.

Me and Paul met Jimmy in December 1998 and as soon as we found out he was a bass player, we asked him to join the band, West Tangleyam. We played together for a couple of years (with very little success) and then went about our lives for 20 years. The first lockdown saw us getting back into making music and we reformed the band, though gave it a new name.

 

Who are your inspirations or influences?

 

Paul - Beatles, Gerry Rafferty, Nine Inch Nails, Little Richard, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton Gordon Giltrap.

 

Jimmy - Queen, Def Leppard, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac.

 

Matt - Queen, the Beatles, Wishbone Ash, Weird Al Yankovic, Simon and Garfunkel, the Eagles.

 

What advice would offer aspiring performers?

 

Whatever reason you have for wanting to get into making music, the most important thing is that it’s something you love doing. The market these days is so saturated with new bands and songs (60,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify every day, that’s almost one every second!) that while success isn’t impossible, it’s very unlikely. As long as you love what you’re doing though, none of that matters.

 

How do you set yourselves apart from other bands or singers?

 

I don’t think we do, and we’re not trying to either. We just play what we like and like what we play. We have songs with a hint of folk, rock and roll, blues, but mostly it’s just standard rock. If you try too hard it can have a negative effect on the music so as long as we keep playing, learning as we go and most importantly, having fun, that will find its way into our songs and hopefully make them enjoyable enough that people want to listen.

 

Any new gigs or albums in the future?

 

We’ve been working on our first album since last year but we’re still struggling to find the time to get it done. We’re recording it all in our houses and then I mix and master everything, so it’s a very slow process. We hoped it’d be out this year but at this rate it’s not looking likely.

Gig-wise, now we can meet up again we’ve started practising with the aim of eventually gigging, but we’re not sure it’ll work unless we can find a drummer. At the moment our drums come from a programmed plugin but so far we can’t make the backing track sound that great live. If anyone knows of a drummer in the Stockport or Sheffield area, send them our way. Hell, we’ll take a drummer from anywhere on the planet as long as they can get themselves over our way to play every week!

Best wishes,

Matt

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Storm of Crows on Social Media

Website: StormOfCrows.com

Bandcamp: stormofcrows.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5DFjBDKanD56xtCx7xINYb

Twitter: twitter.com/StormCrowsBand