Kerala Drive – Violet Drive

By starrymag | February 17, 2023

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) A journalist once described it as “afterhours krautrock techno” and that was the most fitting description we’d heard so far!

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) CAN, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Waits, Velvet Underground and Kraftwerk to name a few!

 

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

 

A) I (Ed) had recorded in the short synth melody that the song starts with. I was one of those moments of creation that you can’t really remember, but I came up with the lyric “is it still there, or is it incomplete?” and I knew this was somehow going to be quite a personal song about anxiety, something that is hidden away in the layers of lots of songs I write but has never been the main theme.

 

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

 

A) My approach to writing is that if you write something you connect with, chances are that someone else will also connect with it. It’s definitely one of the songs on the album that came from a place in me that I didn’t know existed in that way. It feels unique in that sense and it’s one of songs that resonates with me the most as well.

 

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

 

A) I once did a transcendental meditation and “saw” the anxiety in my brain; it was a crazy experience. It was a bright, white, diffused orb emitting sparks randomly. It was also from that orb that good things came, such as music, and love. It’s just that it gets a little out of whack sometimes.

 

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

 

A) Usually there will be some kind of melody or groove in place, and the lyrics follow that. The instrumentation always feels like a color, and you sort of write to that color.

 

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

 

A) All hands-on deck. The music is produced by us and mixed together with our friend Aaron Ahrends in Berlin.

 

Q) Your upcoming album Violet Drive drops shortly! What are some themes you’ll be exploring on it?

 

A) Nighttime drives on European highways, lovesickness, loneliness and youth.

 

Q) Which track(s) off the album hold a special significance for you and what makes it so personal for you?

 

A) “Future Visions” and “Still There.” They were both moments where songs happened very quickly, out of the blue, and suddenly you’re standing in front of this thing that you made, and you don’t even know how you made it!

 

Q) What song challenged you the most creatively for this album?

 

A) “Violet Drive,” for sure. It was the first song to be finished and this moment where we had no idea what the record was going to sound like. God, it felt good though when we figured that one out.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from exploring Kerala Dust music?

 

A) A sense of space.

 

Q) You’ve got a tour coming up in April/May. Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) NYC and LA are going to be very special. We spent a lot of time in both cities, and so to come and present this new show is going to be a special moment.

 

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

 

A) John Cale perhaps!

 

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

 

A) Weval’s new music is great. I recently discovered Andy Shauf and love his melodies. Kit Sebastian is a fantastic new band combining surf rock with Turkish psychedelic rock influences.

 

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 a double-edged sword! On the one hand, you have to be constantly present, otherwise you disappear off the map. On the other hand, it’s amazing to have such a direct connection to listeners, and to be able to engage with people who cherish the music.

 

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

 

A) Thanks for listening, truly.

 

 

All Questions Answered By Edmund Kelly