1. Growing Up
When I was two, my parents couldn’t get me to stop banging on the table when we were eating. For some reason, they thought it was a good idea to get me a drum set so that I could get it all out. Didn’t work out too well for them, as I preferred the drums to the table. Neither of my parents are musical, though my dad can play some songs on guitar and used to do some community musical theatre. Even so, they supported all of my farfetched musical desires.
2.Inspirations
Some musicians who have made the biggest impact on me are Bibio, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, Dirty Projectors, James Blake, Beach House and Jai Paul. I used to stay up late listening to the self-titled James Blake LP when that first came out, crying about how amazing it was and selfishly tying it into how I would never be able to achieve something that beautiful.
3.Your Crew
First off, I have the most amazing roommates ever. There are three of us in the apartment. One of them is a drummer/producer as well who always knows about the best music gear, and the other is into fashion and always knows about the best parties. Bill, my buddy who’s really the only permanent fixture in my live set-up, has been a friend and collaborator since we were 16. He did some of the first Chrome Sparks shows with me when I was still in high school. We also did a bunch of classical music recitals and competitions as a marimba duo.
4.The Music You Make And Play
I feel like my music is a bit all over the place, but I think that most people feel that way, as it’s impossible to see your art from an unbiased vantage point. When I do DJ sets, I definitely keep it more dancey… I don’t think I could ever imagine myself DJing some of my music, like ‘Send The Pain On’, it’s just too slow!
5.Music, Right Here, Right Now
Music is great right now, music was always great, and music will always be great. I hate hearing people complain about “music these days” or things like that. It’s not that the music is getting worse, it’s that you’re too lazy to find the good shit! Spend some time on SoundCloud, dig for the best YouTube playlists; you can do it all from your fucking bed, you don’t even need to ‘dig’ through those ‘crates’, just take a minute to look. No complaining.
Chrome Sparks will be hitting up Oxford Art Factory on Friday July 25, tickets available online.Also appearing atSplendour in the Grassfrom Friday July 25 until Sunday July 27 alongside Outkast, Lily Allen, Interpol, Two Door Cinema Club, Foster The People and heaps more.Goddessis out now through Future Classic.
