1. Growing Up
I grew up immersed in music as both my parents are musicians and passionate about music above all else. Purely classical, it must be said. I sang full-time in a cathedral choir from the age of nine so that is probably the biggest single musical influence in my life, although I also played the cello for 14 years. After that it was discovering hip hop and techno that threw me in new directions.
2. Inspirations
So many. From Tavener and Tallis to Laurent Garnier, Aphex Twin, UR and Nas to Jonny Greenwood and Autechre. Singing Mozart’s Requiem at 11 has stayed with me as much as hearing Garnier for the first time on Radio 1 or chancing on Nas’ Illmatic as a blind purchase.
3. Your Crew
Nae crew. I like it solo. But I have been aided and supported by my pal Jim and my friends along the way. And I love to work with visual artists such as Florence To, Vokoi (who did my Wraetlic visuals) and Konx-om-Pax.
4. The Music You Make
There are different styles for different occasions. Classical composition for some and singing and electronic experimentation for others. In Sydney I’m DJing and playing live. Both will be based on techno and house but I prefer not to pigeon-hole things too much as there is a lot of room for movement. I’ll be singing a wee bit too.
5. Music, Right Here, Right Now
It is a very fertile time for new music as so many people now have the ability to make it but the negative is that the scene is obsessed with novelty. That makes it harder and harder to make a long-term career in music, which is damaging to the scene in the long run. The best artists in my opinion are the ones who continue to develop and push things on. A good example is James Holden, whose last album is fantastic.
The Box & Strange Fruit present Alex Smoke withMike Callander, D&D, Marcotix, Defined By Rhythm, Jordan Deck, Jay Smalls and Hamish Radford at The Abercrombie on Saturday November 2.
