Ghostwood Development Project – Gulley

By starrymag | April 27, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I describe it as Electro hip-hop, but I guess it’s open to interpretation. It’s basically a lot of dirty no wave sounding synths with either hip-hop or electro styled beats, often glitched up for good measure.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I’m influenced by a lot of different artists from various genres. I’m a huge music nerd and listen to a lot of different stuff. Tons of hip-hop like Cannibal Ox, MF Doom, Hieroglyphics, Brand Nubian, Mr. Lif and obviously Kool Keith to name a few. I also listen to lots of late 80’s house music such as Bomb the Bass, Coldcut, 808 state, Technotronic, The Beatmasters. Then, there’s stuff like The Dwarves, Crass, Conflict, Dead Kennedys, TSOL from the punk world. I also listen to a lot of New Wave too. Devo, Suburban Lawns, Our Daughter Wedding, The Units. I’m open to discovering any new music whatever the genre. If I listen to enough, I can usually find something I appreciate.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Gulley.”

 

A) “Gulley” is actually the name of a psychiatrist who helped fix my brain when I was going through a really rough time. She helped me regain my love for making music so I named the song in honor of her. A while ago I became reclusive and didn’t leave the house for around two years. This was the first song I’d made for a long time. It started off as just the synths with no beat, scratching or vocals. Then, one day when I was bored, I jammed along playing a beat using a Native Instruments Machine and liked how it sounded so kept it in. Then, I added some scratching and before long It turned into a real song. All I could hear in my head was Kool Keith rapping along. So, I dropped him a message on the Sunday and by the following Thursday he’d recorded vocals and sent it back to me.

 

Q) In what way did sci-fi movies inspire the song?

 

A) I’m absolutely fascinated with sound synthesis. I collect synthesizers and have been obsessed with them ever since I was a kid. I think because of my love for them the sound design to any Sci-fi movie or TV series is something I have always enjoyed and influences me greatly. Movies like Bladerunner, The Fly, Escape from New York and the original Terminator as well as TV series like “The Outer Limits” and “Twilight Zone” all have really synth heavy soundtracks and if that’s the kind of thing you’re into then it makes it more enjoyable and you feed off of it, too.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) To be honest, I think that’s purely down to Kool Keith’s involvement.

 

Q) What did it mean to you to have hip-hop legend Kool Keith on the track?

 

A) He’s my favorite artist so it was an absolute honour. Originally, this was just supposed to be a casual song that I dropped and introduce myself as a solo artist. But once he got involved it added a whole new dimension to it. I knew he’d come good, but even by his standards I was absolutely blown away by his bars. His narration paints a perfect picture of the suburb known as “Ghostwood” and perfectly sets the scene.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I tend to just go with the first idea I think of and then work from that. Once the song was completed, I sat down with headphones on, closed my eyes and the first thing I imagined was someone in a mask firing a semi-automatic gun in slow motion. Then, kind of worked backwards from that, making it more and more surreal as I work through. It’s the first of a four-part music video anthology. Something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I have a few more scenes to film for it and then I’ll release it when I feel it’s done. It’s the first thing I’ve filmed, directed and edited so it’s kind of a work in progress whilst learning on the job at the same time.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

A) Nine times out of ten I have a melody or beat in my head and I’ll sit down and start writing and recording once I think I have a solid idea to build on. But there’s the odd time that I’ll just start experimenting and record as I go on and then cut everything up afterwards and structure something out of it. With regards to lyrics, it depends. Sometimes I’ll write something and pass it on to whomever I want to feature and tell them just do whatever they want with it like I did Kool Keith. Other times I’ll have an idea for a hook that I’ll pass on and ask them to build from that. I tend to let whoever is featuring interpret the song as they want and put their own stamp on it to help the song progress.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I do everything myself. I write, record, engineer, mix and master all of the music and then distribute it. I even build some of the synths you hear myself. I make my own music videos for everything as mentioned above. I guess that’s the DIY or die punk influence.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live GDP performance?

 

A) Dirty synths, banging beats and a lot of scratching set to acid drenched visuals. I’d prefer to keep live sets to once in a blue moon and make it a special occasion. This way I give myself time to mix up a little bit and keep things fresh so it’s not the same set repeated over and over again. I think it gets boring otherwise.

 

Q) Will there be a full EP or album coming in the near future?

 

A) Absolutely. I’m working on my debut album called NEET, but I’m not sure when it will be out. I plan to release another two singles before that, each with music video’s following on from “Gulley.” I have quite a few songs for it already though and it’s sounding pretty manic. Think I’m gonna aim for about fifteen tracks.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

A) Venues in the UK are closing at an alarming rate at the moment. So, sadly, a lot of my favorite venues are no more. I really enjoyed playing at Dingwalls in Camden and The Dome in Tufnell Park London. The sound at both was absolutely amazing and the people were really friendly and enthusiastic. Then, there are places in my home city of Leeds like The Brudenell. A venue that thrives on community spirit. There’s BOOM (formally Temple of Boom) which started off as a practice space for bands and eventually morphed into a fully-fledged DIY venue with vegan cafe. There’s also Fortress, a new permanent space for grassroots music, art, creative and digital enterprises that recently sprung up.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) This is a tough one because everybody that I want to collaborate with in the future will be featuring on my album. So, I can’t really say because I’d be giving away classified information. You’ll just have to check the album out and see. [laughs]

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’m currently listening to the new Squarepusher album. I’m going to see him soon as he’s playing in Leeds and I’m super excited about it. There’s just so much going on in the mix that I find it really interesting because you don’t really take everything on board the first time you hear it. It’s like its layered so you hear something new with every listen.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) It’s just such an easy way to reach people with your music or art and also engage socially, share links and join in discussions with people around the globe. It makes collaborating and promoting each other a lot easier, too.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you so much for the support thus far. I really appreciate it. Be sure to follow me on social media. I believe in art over profit, so everything I release is pay what you feel and there’s plenty of insane music coming your way.