Recently our bouncer iLikeMeSumChicken had the privilege of interviewing the wonderful producer Aether, straight out of Glenrothes, Scotland. Enjoy this brief glance into his world!

 

JACR: Hello Aether! How are you doing today?

AETHER: I’m doing good thanks, and yourself?

 

Glad to hear it! I’m doing pretty well myself, thank you! My first question to you is simply, what did you have for breakfast this morning?

Aha, I had nothing more than a glass of milk

 

Ahaha, getting the protein in there I see! 1%, 2%, or skim…

Semi skimmed, I think, haha.

 

Sounds delicious. So how has 2015 been treating you so far? What do you have in store?

2015 has been great so far, I finally got ‘round to upgrading the “studio”.

 

Sounds awesome! The quotation marks around “studio” has me wondering what it looks like.

Well, it’s only a home setup although I’ve upgraded a lot of components. I purchased Komplete 10 Ultimate as well as the Kontrol S49 keyboard. I also purchased a Rode NT2-A condenser microphone and Zoom H5 field recorder. So in my head, I like to think it’s a studio, haha.

 

Ahaha, that sounds like a studio to me too! It helps when you can get everything you need in one place. Then you can keep putting out sweet, luscious tunes for our ears to hear. I know many, including myself, really saw you spring onto the scene when your track Silhouette was uploaded onto Sheepy’s channel last February. What were you thinking when you started to receive all this attention? How did this change things for you professionally and personally? Furthermore, how exciting was it to recently be promoted on Inspector?

When I received the message from Sheepy saying he was interested in uploading “Silhouette,” It took me a while to comprehend haha. He pretty much put me on the radar, then to receive not only another upload on MrSuicideSheep later that year with my track “Stargazer” but to have Inspector Dubplate upload one of my tracks, it’s still so surreal when I think about it. Receiving all the positive feedback really motivated me to write a lot more, but to also continue to improve and evolve my sound over time, which is why from my “Prologue EP” you get a taste of what’s to come this year.

 

I can only imagine, yeah! I was just about to ask you about the EP actually, but I think you may have already answered my question! I was going to ask if the word “prologue” indicated that we were going to hear lots more from you this year, and I have a feeling we will!

Prologue is exactly as the title suggests; it’s an introduction to my next release, which will be my first album!

 

Can’t wait! How far into the creation of this album are you at this point? Do you have a release date in mind yet, or is it too early to be thinking about that?

Well I started writing yesterday, so I only have a few melodies at the moment. With regards to the release date I’d estimate sometime in March if things run smoothly.

 

We shall definitely have our eyes peeled for it! So if you had the chance to collaborate with any musician on the planet, who would it be and why?

Hmm, that’s a tricky question as there are soo many haha! Sorrow & ZES I think would be outstanding. Both are unbelievable producers and the music they make I just naturally connect with.

 

Ahaha, those would both be awesome collaborations! I embarrassingly only first heard ZES when he released his “Hindsight” EP late last year! Glad to hear you’re a fan too! So what have you found yourself listening to lately? Any specific artists or track you’d like to open our eyes too?

As of lately, ZES’s “Hindsight” EP” is something I’ve been listening to a lot of. Emancipator, Eskmo & Phaeleh‘s albums have also been on repeat, as well as a few tracks I stumble upon on Soundcloud. One in particular, “I’ve Been Secretly Falling Apart” by Owsey, Jernalism & Resotone.

 

I’ll have to check those out! Awesome! So, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would travel all over the world! I’d love to meet all the musicians I speak to online in person. I’d also love to see all of the beautiful places on our planet, as there are so many amazing landscapes out there. Even here in Scotland, up north there are fantastic and inspiring sites, so that gets me really excited to see what lies over the ocean!

 

Just wait. Soon you’ll get a chance to tour, and then you’ll be able to travel to all of the places you are wanting to go to! I was wondering actually, what would you recommend people check out if they found themselves in Scotland?

The Isle of Skye. Probably my favorite place in Scotland. The Fairy Pools in particular which I am still yet to see, I’ve been there before but the weather was too bad see anything. So many beautiful landscapes too so I’d absolutely recommend the Isle of Skye to anyone and everyone.

 

Sounds like an awesome spot! If I ever find myself down there I’ll definitely check it out! So what do you find yourself doing in your free time? Do you watch any television shows or play any video games or things of the sort?

When I’m not writing music, working or at college, I do tend to play video games with friends. Right now it’s GTA Online, as it’s just a sandbox where we can all just mess around. Though I’m super excited for the release of Halo 5. I’ve been a huge Halo gamer since I first discovered Halo 2 on the original Xbox.

 

Have you had a chance to play the beta?

I have actually, it’s a shame I’m so bad at it hahaha. When matchmaking I tend to favor the SWAT game type as it’s the only one I’m close to being good at. From what I’ve played though, Halo 5 is going to be epic!

 

I’ve unfortunately only had the chance to play the beta for like ten minutes at a friend’s house, but I agree. It’s pretty fun! So who would you say has been your biggest influence when it comes to your music?

Musically, Asa, Culprate and Sorrow have been the most influential over time but as of recently, it would have to be ZES.

 

Those are excellent artists to be influenced by. So, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but I myself am a big advocate of excellent puns and so I was just wondering: what is the best pun that you’ve ever heard?

Interesting, there are lots of funny puns I’ve heard but I just cannot remember them as of right now; though I do remember this one: “I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.” I thought that one was simply amazing.

 

Ahaha, puns are just one of those things that the worse they are, the better they actually are. It’s wonderful! So where do you see yourself in say, 5 years from now? Or better yet, where do you hope to see yourself?

In 5 years from now, I would like to be living off of my musical work. Be it from my personal creations, or even commissioned projects for games and animation. Any job that allows me to write music.

 

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but you are going to school for a program relating to music?

Correct. I’m currently studying my third and final year of Sound Engineering at Fife College.

 

That must help you when it comes to writing music I would imagine. Being able to properly manipulate the sound is a skill that is important when it comes to creating a beautiful piece of music, which is exactly what you do!

Thank You! It is actually the reason I started recording my own instruments and samples.

 

Oh! So it was you playing the keys and other instruments on tracks like Stargazer? I always find it impressive when an artist can truly create these days. When you record real instruments, it’s a different kind of sound than one that is simply computerized. I like that I’m hearing that realness in the sounds you’re creating!

I think Stargazer was the last track I never recorded real instruments on haha. But all of the tracks from the “Prologue EP” have either guitar or percussion recorded by myself.

 

Ahaha, awesome man. I can’t wait to hear what’s next! So I have one last question for you… I go by the name, “iLikeMeSumChicken” on plug.dj, and I was just wondering: do you like chicken too..?

Chicken is awesome! I can’t recall having any chicken that I have not enjoyed!

 

I feel you on that man… I feel you. On behalf of the Just a Chill Room staff and all of our plug.dj room members, I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your day today for this interview! It was truly a pleasure, and I wish you the best of luck in 2015. We hope to see you soon on plug.dj!

Thank you! It’s been great chatting! I’ll be sure to visit the room as often as I can! Cheers!

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Follow Aether here:

Soundcloud – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube

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Info: “The Eden Project” now simply goes by the name “Eden” and continues to make music.

Note: This interview takes place a few days before The Eden Project’s event date

 

JACR: How long have you been making music? What do you think is the best song or most popular song you’ve ever made?

EDEN: I’ve been making music for about 10 years at this stage, in various forms and ways; maybe more maybe less… my whole life basically.

My most popular song would probably be “Chasing Ghosts“, although “Iris” by Friendzone which I did vocals for has been the most played song by far.

 

What inspired you to make your Entrance EP?

Well all of the songs have their own inspirations… I had originally planned to release “Better Together” as a single with remixes by people, but then I wrote the song “Entrance” and it just clicked that it had to be an EP and I knew what I wanted to have on it.

 

How long did it take for you to complete it?

I started writing “Better Together” in May I think, just on the piano because I had a lot of exams then and no time to produce. I started production of it at the start of June. So June till like late September. A long time haha.

 

Do you feel like you have improved a lot while making this EP? Did it change anything for you?

I definitely think I came out a lot better at production; although I’d attribute that mostly to the break days from EP work where I made hip hop, deep house a load of other stuff. The diversity really helped me out I think.

And that EP changed everything for me. Especially “Circles“. That song has the worst production on the EP, and was something I didn’t think any of my followers at the time would like (808’s, hip hop influence, weird no drop structure, etc) so I made it a semi hidden bonus track. But so many people said they loved it that I uploaded it to Soundcloud eventually and it is actually the most popular track off of the EP I think, given that Lost was uploaded to NCS.

So as a result I’ve taken that a bit further and am currently working on two songs more in that kind of vein. Not really because people liked it, but because I’ve gotten so out of EDM culture I guess and really really into R&B/hip hop and all things Lido/Flume.

I don’t know if this is a permanent thing or just a phase though, haha.

I’m a bit shocked you feel that way towards your own song. I’m assuming you’re open to any kind of music you hear, right? Are there other genres you like to explore or perhaps experiment with?

Don’t get me wrong on that, “Circles” is probably my favorite song from the EP, haha. Yeah I like pretty much everything, and an announcement I’m going to make later this week actually concerns genres and stuff. But right now I’m pretty infatuated with certain people in hip hop, R&B and even a pop act so that is without a doubt going to shine through in the next few songs.

 

Can you tell us the reason behind the LSD-sample you used in Entrance?

The main reason behind it is that she says some really really interesting things, almost in an enlightened way.

Also it’s kind of about just experiencing things and being in wonder of everything which is kind of the underlying theme of the EP and a lot of the stuff I make. Just love for experience, and life… in all its aspects.

Kinda corny I guess haha.

 

Our final question and then we’ll get out of your hair. If you could collaborate with anyone who would you choose?

That’s a really tough question haha.

I think either Logic or Jon Bellion would be really cool. Or make something really weird with Kanye. Or I’d love to work with Lido, Kasbo, Grant Bowtie or someone like that at some point. There are too many to choose from really.

Thing is though I don’t really like collaborations over the internet; I have never enjoyed one. So I guess no one unless I’m in the same room as them haha.

 

Thank you for your time and attention. We are absolutely stoked to have you in our room and everyone is looking forward to your event 🙂 

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Recently our co-host and Brand Ambassador Neveragain_Gc interviewed the producer Elliot Berger, based in UK. Enjoy this quick glance into his world!

 

Hi Elliot, would you mind telling us a litle bit about yourself and what you do?

Hi, I’m a producer/DJ and would describe my sound as ‘Heavy Chillout’. I live in London and I am 21 years old. Right now I’m studying Creative Music Technology, aiming to finish with a Bachelor’s Degree next summer.

 

You mainly produce Melodic Dubstep, what was the first Dubstep track you heard and how has it inspired you?

The first Dubstep song I heard was “Tek One – Broken String”. I can actually remember this because it really has inspired me to start producing Dubstep. I got addicted to it and started to listen to more Dubstep, Skrillex for example, who has been an inspiration too. Once I started trying it out, it happened to be quite melodic. I didn’t plan it to be melodic, in fact, if anything, I aimed for the opposite, but having a background in more ‘classical’ music likely influenced it.

 

You are interacting with plug.dj quite a lot, you have played at several events and casually hang out on the site too. What do you like the most about plug.dj and in which communities can we find you?

There are multiple things I like, first of all the interactive way of sharing music, it’s very different from other sites like Soundcloud and YouTube. If you want feedback you can just play a song and ask the crowd for their opinion and get instant answers.

You can also discover a lot of new music that you would have never listened to otherwise. I also think that the anonymity is really nice for shy people, it makes it easier for them to chat.

The communities I visit are Just a chill room…, Radiant, and occasionally, Tastycat. Sometimes I am in my own community and just listen to music with some friends and fans.

 

A bit off topic, what is your favourite color and what is your favourite dish?

My favourite color is blue I think, my favourite dish……

It has to be pizza!

 

What kind of pizza?

Just get as much meat as possible onto it. When my manager and I meet we have our special pizza, the “Artery Smasher”.

We order any meat possible and have the crust filled with sausages!

 

When you compose a song on your own, with another producer, or with a vocalist, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

When you produce on your own you can and have to rely on yourself. That can be both positive and negative. You don’t have to wait for others, which sometimes can be frustrating (not excluding myself from this).

A problem of producing on your own is running out of ideas. In that case, producing with someone else is definitely helpful.

Then again, working with another producer includes a lot of messages and file transfer before both sides are happy with the outcome. When I work with vocalists, I basically send them a rough finished instrumental and let them do their magic. If things go smoothly, you only need 2-3 file transfers until the song is being finalized.

 

Which do you like the most?

Working with vocalists! I used to make instrumentals too, but now days the vast majority of my releases end up being vocal.

 

What kind of music do you listen to? Does it depend on your mood?

Yes, it heavily depends on my mood!

In general I listen to pretty much all the genres that are played in the Chillroom. I used to listen to a lot of Punk and Metal, which if I am in the mood I still do. Once I started to listen to Dubstep I listened to a lot of Gemini, Flux Pavillon and Netsky, I can still enjoy their old tracks, I prefer them over the newer releases actually.

 

Where was your first gig?

My first gig was in Antwerpen (Belgium) about 18 months ago.

The organizer sent me an e-mail, and it just went from there! Other artist that played at this event were Fox Stevenson (back when he was Stan SB), Feint and Boy Kid Cloud. The crowd was about 1500 people and it has really been an awesome experience! Not long after this I played at another event in Belgium together with Matrix & Futurebound and Hucci. We all met before and had dinner together which really was a surreal experience for me, since I have never expected to meet them.

 

What is there to come this coming year?

A lot of music and also a music video! I’ll be playing at more shows and I thought about uploading some tutorials to YouTube too, that depends on me finding the time for it though.

 

Great to hear! Thank you very much for this interview!

Thank you!

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Follow Elliot Berger here:

Soundcloud – YouTube – toneden.io – Facebook – Twitter