APPAREL INTERVIEW: Si Tew (Uk)

APPAREL INTERVIEW:

Si Tew

DJ, Producer [Uk]

The time when Si Tew will release his next LP called 'Quietude' is approaching; the label where it will land is one that has already welcomed him several times into its arms, Atjazz Record Company. We took the opportunity, a bit ahead of time, to have a nice chat with the artist to investigate the creative process behind this beautiful record and to mind his own business a little. Besides, you all know we are curious guys.

APPAREL INTERVIEW:

Si Tew

DJ, Producer [Uk]

The time when Si Tew will release his next LP called 'Quietude' is approaching; the label where it will land is one that has already welcomed him several times into its arms, Atjazz Record Company. We took the opportunity, a bit ahead of time, to have a nice chat with the artist to investigate the creative process behind this beautiful record and to mind his own business a little. Besides, you all know we are curious guys.

Si Tew Q&A

-As usual, if you like, we’d like to start with the simplest but most important question: how are you doing, how’s your life going at this moment in time?

- You know what, I’m really good at the moment, thanks. The way music, business and family are aligning means I get very little sleep but I shouldn’t complain as things are particularly exciting right now. I’m really pleased to have an album about to land and getting back into the studio with remixes etc. My business, Digit Music, which aims to make music creation possible for everyone, is very busy and shipping our first products. The kids, or the three little sleep thieves as they are affectionately known, are a daily source of jokes and inspiration… and the sun is on its way back out so life is generally very good.

-Talk us trough your feelings when you concluded the production of the record and what do you feel now that, in fact, it is already walking on its own legs towards the release date?

It’s a funny feeling finishing an album. The love and connection throughout project then the onslaught to get things over the line for delivery make it all a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I definitely took a while away from the album once delivered as you get so close to it and focus on fixing tidy details that I struggle to feel it as a whole - then went back as I put together my live show together and fell in love all over again. Its a whole new feeling once your art is out in the world and connecting with people… well thats the aim anyway! I’ve loved seeing the responses from people and seeing how things are landing so I look forward to seeing the responses to the album as a whole.

-We know that you drew inspiration for this album mainly from your experience living in Venezuela. Tell us why that specific corner of the world is so special to you and when you realised that place would be the starting point for the creation of this beautiful album.

- I started some of the writing before moving away but it only really became an album while I was living in Caracas. My life took a big turn and things changed hugely from living in a basement in London to living in Venezuela and being in the middle of the most beautiful country I’ve been to. Add to that the social upheaval that was at its peak during my time there, and so many amazing musicians, instruments and rhythms, and you have melting pot of creative inspiration and life lessons to learn. On reflection, the time I spent out there made a huge impact both on my music and me as a person. Being in a situation where you don’t speak the language and have to learn quick was humbling - for anyone that knows me I probably speak too much - and you quickly realise that how you carry yourself holds a lot of weight. Music was always the levelling factor and I got to work in some really nice studios out there but I still can’t (and never will) get that proper Latino bounce though!

-Did you always know that 'Quietude' would be released on Atjazz Recording Company? Tell us if everything was already planned-out or if, instead, the decision took place once the creative process had already concluded.

- ARCo is home for me and always will be as Martin Atjazz has had my back since day one. I met him 20 odd years ago and he showed me the ropes of sound design so I’ve spent countless hours in the studio with him and he really gets my music. I’ll always be thankful for having his exquisite ear and guidance on mixing, sound design and what kit to get - or borrow from him. We’ve come a long way so it feels good to be releasing Quietude, what is a really important piece of work for me, on ARCo.

-Listening to the tracks that compose the record, we could notice a clear evolution in the musical production and arrangement, compared to your past creations. Do you reckon this is simply the result of your personal maturation and, consequently, of the contents/features of your music or did you have a different approach to the creative process of the album?

- The creative process was pretty similar, I think, so I guess it must have been the change in my surroundings and where I was as a person that moved my sound forward. Although, there was a conscious decision to keep focus so I feel the album is a step in the direction that I want to go, making music that aligns over the duration of a project. We’re all music lovers so we take inspiration wherever it appears and I’ve taken it from hip-hop, techno, film scores and I love making all sorts of sounds from beats to house to slightly abstract electronica but in the past I could be a little wayward meaning no one really knew what they were gonna get. This album naturally moved towards a low slung, chilled, blissful sound which is probably due to where I was living so I brought certain elements of my sound to the fore, letting others go towards other projects which may or may not make it out into the world one day.

-Let's get briefly into technicalities. Can you reveal how you worked on ‘Quietude’ from a technical standpoint? Which gear, softwares have you implemented? Where have you composed the album, in your studio or somewhere else?

- I made a lot of this album while living away so there is inspiration from all over south america and sounds recorded from everywhere I went. Whether recording in a market in Colombia (where I nearly got shot due to my Zoom looking like a taser) or from the top of Mount Roraima in Venezuela, or the village below where everyone seemed to make their own percussion instruments. I love analogue synths - working with Martin Atjazz for so long, its easy to understand why - and I managed to take my Roland SH-09 with me, along with a couple of guitar pedals. It has such a direct, dry sound which is amazing in lots of circumstances but the pedals helps itsing. Most of the arranging and mixing was done on my setup in Venezeula so very much in the box with waves, UAD, Soundtoys, OEK plugins - and all sorts of other random bits - then finished off at my studio in the UK once I’d moved back. I added loads of synths once I was back and switched out some plugins for hardware Prologue, Minimax, Minimoog, Matriach and a small modular setup. I worked on the mixes with Atjazz at ARCo HQ to give that final sheen and he also mastered it.

-Is there a specific plug-in (if you use some) that you could suggest to a producer who would hypothetically read this interview?

- That really depends on what someone is looking to do but I love the waves H-Delay as its not just a delay its all kinds of noise generation and weird textural stuff. You have to be quite sparing with it as it gets a little obvious if you’re not careful. I also love the soundtoys Devil-Loc, particularly when using it on field recordings as it brings out so much noise and hidden texture. When it’s wrong it sounds terrible but when it’s right, it can’t be beaten. More importantly than a plugin though, my advice would be always layer things with stuff you’ve recorded yourself as you get multiple benefits. 1 - Ive always been a fan of happy accidents and field recordings create an environment where lots of accidents happen. 2 - you can guarantee the sound is yours, even over a preset, a little layering can make something 100% unique.

-Tell us how your producer’s desk looks like, what’s normally on it. We’d love to know which are your essentials when working on some music, the things that you need in order to focus (wether it can be a cup of coffee, a lucky mascot or lucky-charm...)?

- A cup of tea. I know thats painfully British of me but I’ll get rarely anything done without a brew close by! Focus is a huge one, and not necessarily focussed on the output but focused on the process and journey without much care for the outside world. Usually when working on music I wear one of two hats: I produce to a brief for a client, which is a great way to build your chops; or it’s simply for the love of writing and it’s the latter where my focus is important. If my mind is on work I find it hard to get going. It’s nothing a walk in the woods can’t solve though.

-Tell us about the feelings and motivations that led you to compose this album. We"re always curious to know what kind of artistic urgency pushes an artist to start working on a LP.

- Since my first album many years ago I’ve written a lot of music but not all of it has ended up being released. I made an album in between ‘When The Clouds Ran Away’ and ‘Quietude’ but it was tied to a crazy time in my life and didn’t have the direction I wanted so ended up pulling it and just releasing a couple of singles. With Quietude it was a necessity thing, I needed to write and felt compelled to every day so it was a natural journey from that creative process to start forming an LP. I’ve always been a fan of albums from artists as I feel you can get into someone’s world far more effectively than with singles alone, I feel it helps me know an artist better and I often end up loving the more subtle pieces which wouldn’t necessarily make it to the single release.

-What would you like the response of the public to be when listening to 'Quietude!; what!s the message you want to convey (if there!s any) through your music?

- Music is for people to take their own meaning from and I wasn’t to cogniscent of the overall emotion until after the fact, but for me, the feeling of the album is about the beauty of being at peace, particularly when on your own with no external input, and being content, driven and excited by where your mind wanders. Just being in your own head and happy is a key part of the emotion of the album. I hope it takes people somewhere and I hope they like the place it takes them. If it makes someone move on the dancefloor or float away on headphones, I’ll be very happy.

-Thanks a lot for your time, it has been a pleasure talking to you and we wish you the very best for you present and future projects!

-Let's get briefly into technicalities. Can you reveal how you worked on ‘Quietude’ from a technical standpoint? Which gear, softwares have you implemented? Where have you composed the album, in your studio or somewhere else?

- I made a lot of this album while living away so there is inspiration from all over south america and sounds recorded from everywhere I went. Whether recording in a market in Colombia (where I nearly got shot due to my Zoom looking like a taser) or from the top of Mount Roraima in Venezuela, or the village below where everyone seemed to make their own percussion instruments. I love analogue synths - working with Martin Atjazz for so long, its easy to understand why - and I managed to take my Roland SH-09 with me, along with a couple of guitar pedals. It has such a direct, dry sound which is amazing in lots of circumstances but the pedals helps itsing. Most of the arranging and mixing was done on my setup in Venezeula so very much in the box with waves, UAD, Soundtoys, OEK plugins - and all sorts of other random bits - then finished off at my studio in the UK once I’d moved back. I added loads of synths once I was back and switched out some plugins for hardware Prologue, Minimax, Minimoog, Matriach and a small modular setup. I worked on the mixes with Atjazz at ARCo HQ to give that final sheen and he also mastered it.

-Is there a specific plug-in (if you use some) that you could suggest to a producer who would hypothetically read this interview?

- That really depends on what someone is looking to do but I love the waves H-Delay as its not just a delay its all kinds of noise generation and weird textural stuff. You have to be quite sparing with it as it gets a little obvious if you’re not careful. I also love the soundtoys Devil-Loc, particularly when using it on field recordings as it brings out so much noise and hidden texture. When it’s wrong it sounds terrible but when it’s right, it can’t be beaten. More importantly than a plugin though, my advice would be always layer things with stuff you’ve recorded yourself as you get multiple benefits. 1 - Ive always been a fan of happy accidents and field recordings create an environment where lots of accidents happen. 2 - you can guarantee the sound is yours, even over a preset, a little layering can make something 100% unique.

-Tell us how your producer’s desk looks like, what’s normally on it. We’d love to know which are your essentials when working on some music, the things that you need in order to focus (wether it can be a cup of coffee, a lucky mascot or lucky-charm...)?

- A cup of tea. I know thats painfully British of me but I’ll get rarely anything done without a brew close by! Focus is a huge one, and not necessarily focussed on the output but focused on the process and journey without much care for the outside world. Usually when working on music I wear one of two hats: I produce to a brief for a client, which is a great way to build your chops; or it’s simply for the love of writing and it’s the latter where my focus is important. If my mind is on work I find it hard to get going. It’s nothing a walk in the woods can’t solve though.

-Tell us about the feelings and motivations that led you to compose this album. We're always curious to know what kind of artistic urgency pushes an artist to start working on a LP.

- Since my first album many years ago I’ve written a lot of music but not all of it has ended up being released. I made an album in between ‘When The Clouds Ran Away’ and ‘Quietude’ but it was tied to a crazy time in my life and didn’t have the direction I wanted so ended up pulling it and just releasing a couple of singles. With Quietude it was a necessity thing, I needed to write and felt compelled to every day so it was a natural journey from that creative process to start forming an LP. I’ve always been a fan of albums from artists as I feel you can get into someone’s world far more effectively than with singles alone, I feel it helps me know an artist better and I often end up loving the more subtle pieces which wouldn’t necessarily make it to the single release.

-What would you like the response of the public to be when listening to 'Quietude!; what!s the message you want to convey (if there!s any) through your music?

- Music is for people to take their own meaning from and I wasn’t to cogniscent of the overall emotion until after the fact, but for me, the feeling of the album is about the beauty of being at peace, particularly when on your own with no external input, and being content, driven and excited by where your mind wanders. Just being in your own head and happy is a key part of the emotion of the album. I hope it takes people somewhere and I hope they like the place it takes them. If it makes someone move on the dancefloor or float away on headphones, I’ll be very happy.

-Thanks a lot for your time, it has been a pleasure talking to you and we wish you the very best for you present and future projects!

Giuseppe D'Alessandro

Illustrator / Editor

Ludovico Schilling

Author