The musical puzzle that lays in front of artists is both sprawling and overwhelming. To make sense of the swirling emotions within humanity and form sonics that mirror them monumental. But in walks Umru. Just as the puzzle seems almost impossible, he reminds of the missing piece that had fallen on the floor. Like a breath of fresh air within pop production, Umru is solving different artist’s puzzles while also looking to finish his own. 

Based in New York, Umru is seeing production for more than its surface later ability. More so than just a collaboration tool, it is. in his hands, being transformed into a means of shared expression in a time of distance. In strengthening the vision of others, Umru finds a voice his own which carries through each of his works. This voice, ultimately, is telling a story self-discovery and freedom, stitching itself into endless far-reaching stories.

And so the puzzle sits on the table still with pieces missing, with a slew of holes and complexities. All of our puzzles do. All of our personal stories are united in the full photo being incomplete. But without individuals such as Umru, the pieces would be missing a lifetime. With every song he creates, one which touches another’s heart, a piece of their puzzle is found. The resulting image is slightly more clear and ever more beautiful. 

                                                         -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been?

Good! I’m alright, I've felt really busy, yet unproductive recently though.

In your eyes, what defining features in your upbringing brought you into the path you’re on now and what was their significance to you as an individual?

I’ve got two very creative-minded parents and was lucky to be in an environment with few obstacles in getting to do the things I wanted creatively. I was able to use my dad’s old laptop with Ableton Live installed for example. I think access to the internet was also a defining feature, moving through online communities from Minecraft servers to Tumblr and Youtube fandoms to Soundcloud and Soundcloud producer group chats on Skype and Twitter. I was in a very small town and definitely relied on these communities just as much if not more than “real life” relationships to develop as an individual.

What were the core visions you went into music with at the beginning and how do you reflect on those original mindsets and values?

I don’t have this stuff all figured out honestly. I didn’t start making music with an end goal in mind. I started working on music early on enough that I wasn’t thinking about these things, I was just finding sounds and directions I liked on the internet and wanted to start replicating them. Since then I feel like I’ve been able to carve out and develop a sound world that’s uniquely mine even if my influences are pretty clear, but I’m still an immature artist with a lot to figure out in terms of vision.

Do you feel there was ever a shifting or eye-opening moment within your career that made you realize what it is you truly wanted to create?

The closest thing I can think of is A. G. Cook emailing me and expressing his interest in the parallels between our work. This was in 2016 or 2017, I was a high schooler and “Soundcloud trap” producer. I was a fan of PC Music but never imagined my music in a Pop context. Not too long after, A. G. had me working with him on tracks for Tommy Cash and then suddenly Charli XCX. “I Got It” came out on Charli’s mixtape, Pop 2, not much longer. Then a month after I worked on it, all of a sudden, I had all this new attention as a forward-thinking pop producer. It definitely helped me understand that the lines between these worlds were more blurred than ever, and my direction has definitely shifted since then—as much as I still end up focusing on sound design and convoluted production techniques, I want to make pop music, and stretch what that can mean as much as possible.  

Now, how do you ensure that as an artist who collaborates heavily with others you don’t diminish or lose your own personal spark and vision? How do you approach creation with others to be able to allow yourself to be heard and not simply listened to?

I used to be very protective of my work and “sound” and found it hard to collaborate a lot of the time. But I’ve learned to step back a bit and trust everyone else a bit more and the result has been better music. Especially in the pop world it’s impossible to get too attached to your work because there’s just endless music that will never hear the light of day and I have to be okay with that. And the work that does get heard may go through many changes by others after I work on it, I’ve had to learn to get less bothered by that inevitable process.

Which artists in history do you feel you could work well and create great art with, even though to many it would seem like an impossible or confusing combination?

I’m honestly a lot more interested in working with people who are making the current musical moment interesting. There’s plenty of good music throughout history but it’s exhausting to think of everything in the context of the past. I go to music school and everything is constantly about emulating the legendary studios and gear of the golden era of recording which never feels that relevant to me. That being said, I would love to work on a track with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, J Dilla, Sylvia Striplin, Wendy Carlos, or John Tavener.

What improvements and developments do you hope to see within your sound and artistry going forth and do you feel you’re near a point of satisfaction with those elements?

I’m never near a point of satisfaction, I’ve spent a long time trying to perfect a complex, detailed, sound design-based approach and I’ve still not made it far enough in that direction.  Now, I’m feeling like a more immediate, stripped down, and more fun style that’s less concerned with the perfect details is becoming my new goal. This is after hearing projects like 1000 gecs and waterboy by William Crooks that are in this vein. What I need to improve most on is songwriting and the simplicity and catchiness of pop music that I’ve relied a bit too much on collaborators for in the past.

What do you feel is your largest goal with creation and with your efforts as an artist? Do you feel it important to speak to others or is there personal learning that you’re drawn to?

I’ve never been good at speaking to others in any other way, so music is definitely the way I do it. I guess the largest goal is simply to create or help others to create music that positively impacts as many people as possible. Production ends up being a very supportive role if you’re the kind that works with recording artists, and that’s definitely a role I’m still learning to fill. If I can get super-rich and famous that would be sick too.

Looking forward, what has you most excited for the future and what moments are you ready to experience?

Music! There’s a lot of really important work happening right now and It’s gonna sound really good in the future.

Do you have anyone to say thank you to or anything you’d like to say into existence? The floor is yours.

Thank you Rylee. Thank you A. G. Thank you Tiam and thank you Paramind for having me speak.

                                                           -

Listen on Spotify and Apple Music

Follow on Instagram and Twitter

                                                          -

Cover Photo by Max Schramp

                                                          -

The desert of adolescence is dry and brutal. Dunes and murderous heat engulf the eyes and heart with unwavering repetition. Walk for months and you may only inch closer to enlightenment. But there, in the distance, is an oasis. An understanding and all enriching moment of freedom within the drivel of growing up. For any, this is oasis is personally founded in their art, experiences and ideologies. But in this generation, not a single youth’s oasis is complete without Surf Curse; not complete without their generational ability to connect. 

It’s known that if you’re a teen and with the opportunity to see Surf Curse live, you simply must. Having been a pair of blinded youth at one point, Nick and Jacob have grown to a point of personal understanding. They began as idealistic 18-year-olds, similar to their fans, but now stand as formed individuals who grasp their inner values and principles. Mirrored in their new album, Surf Curse have come to terms with what it means to grow and the beauty that exists in the process. While terrifying, the desert is gorgeous in its grandiose novelty. 

But here and now, at the oasis, Surf Curse is delivering a message of hope. Their body of work, so far, can be seen as the journey of self-discovery that now culminates with a catharsis of teenage moon dreams and film history. They want all youth to have the freedom they were able to attain through creating their art. And in creating that freedom, Surf Curse is cementing an opportunity for normality for young lives of turbulence. From now on, the oasis will never die and, due to their efforts, will be able to speak to limitless bleeding hearts.                                                           - How’s your day been going so far and how have you been as of late?

Nick: My day’s going pretty good so far, just started honestly as I had a bit of a late night. Both of us did. I was up until 5 in the morning just having a good chat with some friends. Got only like 4 hours of sleep.

With the new work finally coming into the foreground after a while of planning and rollout, what is the most overwhelming feeling in your life right now? The one that defines you emotionally.

N: I guess this release has been so different from everything else we’ve done. It’s very well organized and the record is well produced. There’s been a lot of money, time and effort put into it. I think it's the most organized it's ever been. There are no surprises which is really nice, but you do get the feeling of a large stakes situation. It's just anxiety hoping that everything goes well. We’re both very confident in it though. I’d also say it's just a lot of waiting. The records been done for over half a year now so we’re just excited to see everything rolling out.

Through this last year, what do you look back on as your favorite memory and almost a time that defined this entire few months for you?

N: I really do think recording this last album was such a great experience. We usually record so DIY but this time around, with the label backing, we were able to go into a studio with an engineer. It was such a special experience after over 10 years of home recordings to be able to go into a studio and make a professional sounding project. I know for Jacob and I, it was one of the best experiences of our lives. Every day was such a blessing.

When you look back at the early days of this band in 2013, how do you compare your artistic vision from then to now and do you think you are in a place of satisfaction with it?

N: I really love where it is now. I think there’s been a lot of growth and it’s hard to anticipate growth really, it just comes naturally. We were fortunate that as we've had a lot of time to sit with ourselves and write freely. This last record is one of the things I’m most proud of and it's a very obvious change in our sound and style. But again, that’s been a natural progression. Any musician or artist goes through that. It’s not a conscious effort either, it just progresses. When we wrote those first songs we were both 19, but now we’re each 27.

You did mention working with a new producer and really having it all be a tighter and more professional effort. But how do you feel that is visible within the songs and how do you feel seeing it all come into fruition in a professional sense.

Jacob: I think the production of it changed a lot of our songwriting. We had a bunch of demos but only in entering the studio did we realize the true capabilities we had. I think the original songwriting is still there but there was just a feeling we could make it much more true to life. As we were recording we noticed how cinematic and grand it is as well. We noticed it was a large cathartic experience. That, in some places, was a result of being able to add strings to something or having someone come in to create larger harmonies. It influences the songwriting in that you have to write with something truly grand in mind.

In the run-up for this project, there’s been a lot of talk about the influence that came from old cult film and the idea of peering into adolescence through film. With some songs like Midnight Cowboy the influence is obvious, but what other films do you feel achieved that vision you pulled from?

N: I think it's funny because there's a lot that is very on the head. We have some films that pretty directly translate to the song. Usually, a song is just a melting pot of so many ideas that it is never limited to one thing. I think with the song ‘Opera’ it is very clearly about Dario Argento’s Opera in the style and structure. But the themes are more relevant to our lives and what is going on within them. With the entire album’s feel as a whole, we were trying to make something like the movie ‘The American Friend’. Before we shot the album art we watched it with the photographer just to get a general vision for it. I really do feel it is so many different films that we consumed. Even when we were recording we had VHS’ playing constantly in the background. You can look at the tracklist and breakdown a lot of the obvious influences.

If you could personally take any film in history and strip its soundtrack, thus replacing it with this album, which do you think it’d fit with best?

J: I don't even know if we can. I think we'd have to make the movie go with it.

Then what would the plotline of that film be?

J: what's interesting is we created that newspaper that had that short story inspired by the album cover as a scene. It was a way to verbalize much of what’s going on within the actual songs.

A lot of the album’s ideas are apparent in the music videos as well though. How do you feel you're able the concepts of the music into the visual space and is it important for you to create the stories through the different mediums?

N: I think it's funny because the music is so influenced by visual art. Once we create the song it becomes its own thing that needs to go through another filter to be understood. The music video for Disco is a combination of ‘The Last Days of Disco’ and this film called ‘The Hole’. It’s a combination of two things that would never find a life together other than in this video. It's fun and interesting to be able to almost pay homage to very different films we can interpret similarly.

On top of film, what other art and external factors did you find guiding you upon this artistic journey?

J: Just life honestly. The experiences and what we’ve been going through. I mean, ‘Midnight Cowboy is a fictional song, but I wrote it because someone that I had dated was a sex worker. They explained to me their whole philosophy of sex work and I was so inspired by that while cared so much for them that I tried to put myself into that perspective while being in love during that. The song Jamie is about Nick and I’s good friend and it’s songs like that we can look back on and remember the moments and heartbreaks along with them.

N: I think as we’ve made this record, the environment we created it in influenced it a lot. Moving to LA and creating such a grand project that is a step forward for us in our lives. Just being in the culture of LA and the weird celebrity of it has been a big influence. It’s also hard to say on some level. It really just is the accumulation of so many moments and so much media it’s impossible to pinpoint which is above the rest.

To kind of throw a quote at you, when Billy Corgan was making a lot of his nostalgia-based music for the Smashing Pumpkins, he said he was: “taking [his] childhood, wrapping it with a bow and putting it under [his] bed”. In a sense being able to look back on the past fondly but without a need for it. Do you feel this project, as you’re at 27, did the same for you or is there still a lot you're trying to find?

J: Absolutely. It's funny because ever since we began very young at 18-19, our whole demographic has been teenagers and people in their twenties. It's always been young faces throughout the years. We get very nostalgic and in love with these moments we have with each other and with friends. We’re trying to capture that. A lot of this album feels very much like these sweet moments or tough moments or moments of blessings where you just have to be in love with the times.

N: A lot of it does put a bow on it but the music doesn't give answers. It's confronting the tough questions of adulthood and life and the themes on the record are more mature than what we dealt with in the past. That's also just growing and having experiences. If anything, a lot of the adolescent or youth influence is from the fact I believe when you release a song, it’s someone else's. And with our fans being young it's a way for them to transcribe their growing up. Writing these songs has not felt like looking back on the rearview mirror but instead being within it.

You really have connected with the youth, as you said, and people talk about the staple of going to a Surf Curse show in their teens. But how do you feel about the fact that the legacy may be a soundtrack to that coming of age time and to find an answer through what you were trying to solve?

N: I think it's a beautiful thing. It's also a secondary thing as well. It’s never an intention but I think that it’s a beautiful result of music and it’s hard to take credit for it. It just becomes whatever someone makes of it and I can be proud of it all, but I think it's so unintentional. It’s hard to grasp how to feel about it or to take part in it.

Do you feel that you have memories in the future you’re currently nostalgic for before they even happen?

J: I think we're both excited to be on tour again. We’re looking forward to being in a car with people we love and having good and rough nights. I was on this Current Joys tour opening for Nick’s band and I still think of being in the car with everyone and loving it, or sometimes being so miserable some nights.

It seems on tour it’s not the shows that are memorable at all but the moments in between and the events between the milestones.

N: Oh for sure, the show is just 10% of the tour. No one else sees what else gets put into it.

J: We’re just part of that one hour for everyone else. But honestly, we’re probably 12 shows in and on an 8 hour drive consuming music and reading a book and having a beautiful conversation, probably telling the same story for the 5th time.

Do you have anyone to say thanks to or anything you want to say as a final idea?

N: I would say to any young creatives, do your work for the right reasons. Do it for yourself and don't create for being cool. Create so you can get yourself out there. Don't get blinded by what everyone perceives as a success. Find, make and achieve your own success.

J: Yeah, stay in your lane. I've been thinking about this a lot because I've been swimming a lot. I'm a new swimmer and I go to the YMCA and I’m learning to swim. It’s so hard and very existing. But those who go to this pool are really advanced swimmers and we have to share a lane. But whenever I look at what they’re doing I lose my form and focus. I always think about that when people talk about other artists. When you focus on what they're doing, you’re going to mess up your form. Stay in your lane and don't worry about how people will consume it. Just make it what you want. Oh, and watch ‘Too Old to Die Young’.

                                                         -

Photos by Matthew James-Wilson

                                                         -

Follow Surf Curse on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Spotify and Apple Music

                                                         -

Is the shape of an individuals’ existence one which must always be positive? Must the weight of modernity be ignored for falsehood happiness? If you were to ask P.H.F. he’d say: fuck that. Curse the idea that one cannot explore their own emotions freely and without judgment. Curse the notion that there is a constant joy we all must produce. Instead, P.H.F., and his art stand as testaments to the power of emotional catharsis, to the moments unhinged and life-altering. It’s not angst, it’s a way of healing. 

Having been refining his sound and style for years, tides of change have landmarked an artistic journey that caresses both ends of the stylistic spectrum. The harshness of rebellious beliefs juxtaposed by intertwined hearts and self-reflection so currently rare, but so currently in need. As a new project exists nearby on the horizon, P.H.F. has found the sonic foundation on which his future ideals may grow. The aforementioned balance within his audio-centric universe has come to a perfect equilibrium. 

Across the world’s oceans, the kids are much alike in their uncertainties. They often lay in bed crying and waiting for an answer, waiting for something to give them peace. And through that, through that confusion, exists the power of P.H.F.. In their sound exists an understanding and an indescribable hope that every adolescent so desperately clings on to daily. An environment of certainty is developed in uncertain and tension-ridden times. And while P.H.F. himself does not have every answer, as truly none do, they understand that the very act of connection is of importance; to reach a hand, hold it tight and remind you that all will be alright.                                                       

                                                                 -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been as of late?

I’m pretty good. I just moved homes for the 5th time in 2 years, but other than that I’m all good.

To start at the beginning of your journey, what would you say were the defining characteristics of your environment growing up and how do you feel it put you upon the artistic path you traverse currently?

My environment at home was always pretty supportive, I think I always gravitated towards creative shit because it was the most intuitive. I’m not really that good with being patient so if something doesn’t stick quickly I usually drop it. The more I went through school it got worse and worse, but it gave me self motivation to actually start doing music and art on my own and then it just kind of clicked. I was also super introverted and liked being alone 99% of the time, So as soon as I had Garageband and a keyboard I started figuring out how to write a song and produce.

What experience or memory within adolescence and growing up had the largest impact upon you and why does it stand out above others?

It kind of sucks that the main ones I remember are traumatic, but my half brother used to let me steer the car going 100km down our street when I was real young. I don't know, I loved it though.

And in looking at that time, how would you compare those who influenced you back then to who shape you currently? Do you find that your tastes have grown with time and how do you feel it reflects upon your personal growth?

Actually, that kind of makes sense then because I’m still obsessed with cars and stupid shit like that. I think my tastes have definitely grown over time, but there is like a base level that stays the same. Same canvas different paint. Personally, I think I have grown a lot but I don't know if that has anything to do with music or art and more just the people I’ve surrounded myself with through the last 10 years. Shout out to my friends because I would never say this to their face.

Currently, what do you find to be the defining characteristics of your personal state both interpersonally and within your work? What is it that overarches through daily life?

Honestly trying to take some negative shit and turn it into something uplifting or motivating. Maybe more so in my work because I’m not out here trying to be on some motivational speaker shit. I like it when people tell me my music helped them get through some shit because that’s why i make it. Even though the content is depressing or sad or whatever, the songs are supposed to make you feel good about that and to feel less isolated.

And with that, do you find it to be what you have been pulling from most while approaching the new work you’ve been creating? Or is the inspiration more so cemented in abstract ideas and memories?

It goes in between both actually. I like the oscillation between extremes of abstraction and minutiae. For some reason lately, I've really been responding to lyrics that are almost completely uneventful but there's something about them that captures the vibe.

What strikes you as the largest shifts in your process to approach music and art as a whole from when you began to currently?

I hope I'm getting better, that's all I can say really. Also, my gut instincts are way stronger and quicker the more I make. Also, it’s not rocket science. People like to place a lot of importance and intellect on art, which I think is fine sometimes, but it ruins it for me and I think it sucks because it becomes less and less egalitarian. You can write, record and produce a song in under an hour if you wanted honestly.

Does it matter for you to have a piece of art received by an audience the same way it was crafted or is there peace in allowing others to form their own answers and truths from a work?

I hope they hang their own shit on it! Sometimes my stuff can be quite specific lyrically, but like I said before, I try to make it pretty open. I honestly don’t care if you know the lyrics or not but I want you to sing-along. There are so many songs I LOVE and have no idea what they actually saying. It doesn't matter.

What to you does the ideal studio space look like and what aspects do you think are key within any sort of creative space?

The ideal studio is open and light! I actually don't really like recording studios because they are so dark it's its just a weird vibe. I just finished recording the new album with my friend Nick Nonneman in LA. it was perfect because we just did it at their house - their roommates were fucking angel. My friend Nick Santana was on drums and we just thrashed it out in a week. It’s essentially just hanging out with your mates, but your sort of working. Plus I could always hear Nick’s dog, Pete, who is deaf and blind, claw on the floor and it made me smile.

At this stage of your life, what do you find to matter most on a day to day basis? Is it simply happiness or is the constant ability to create? Or, is there something even more so essential for you?

Feel like my happiness comes from the ability to create. I can’t think of a better feeling than when after a few hours you finish something you didn’t even know existed, like from conception to execution - you just did that. Also, even though I work alone a lot - when you’re creating with other people and you lock in, shit is peak.

Looking into the horizon of the future, which ideas and milestones do you hope to touch on and eventually achieve as you continue to grow?

I definitely want to make more music videos. It’s a part of this that I really want to explore more but it’s a lot more organizing and structure, which is something I suck at now.

As a wrap-up, what is a mantra you feel you have been living by and how has it helped you find peace?

Not super positive, I guess but nihilism in the grand scheme.

Do you have anyone you want to say thank you to or truly anything to say into the air at all? The floor is totally yours.

Thank you to whoever reads and let alone finished this, I love you. Also, new album drops start of next year on Danger Collective Records. And thank you to you for asking me these buzzy ass questions. P.L.U.

                                                           -

Cover photo by Lizzie Klein

                                                           -

Follow P.H.F. on Instagram

Listen on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music

                                                          -

In many ways, you can equate the passage of years to a poorly built rollercoaster. The ups and wons upon which each new age treads is not only unpredictable but also mesmerizing in its new wonders. At her current moment, Cehryl is experiencing the midpoint between a drop and a climb. This is a turning moment bookended my project understanding of both ends. 

The project’s title, ‘Slow Motion’, reveals much of the moment Cehryl exists within. A balance between the euphoric freedoms of artistry and the constraining hopelessness of frustrating realities. She exists in a slow-motion as she goes from stage to stage, not able to speed up the process in which she grows into someone knew and with better understandings of self and the world around.

But that’s ok. While in the past slow motion would’ve been a fearful speed to be within, it is now hopeful and human. Cehryl can exist within her own truths and find her own answers at the pace in which she finds the best fit. There is no rush, there is a calmness at the current speed. For Cehryl, motion slow is better than none at all, while also a pace more so self-assuring than ever before. 

                                                      -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been lately?

My day has been productive, therefore good, but as of lately I have been very stressed and anxious actually. But everything is going to be okay.

Looking back, what is your favorite childhood memory and why do you think it sticks out above the rest in your mind?

I loved walking around the city where I grew up, Hong Kong, alone after school after I had just figured out how to take public transport.

Do you think it is memory and experience that you most pull from when crafting your work or is there also the addition of philosophical and larger scale ideologies?

Definitely memory mostly… like all other humans, have my philosophies on love and life and growing up and i’m sure my songs reek of all that as well.

What art did you also pull from you were in the midst of your new project? Whether that be music, film, visual art, dance?

For my latest album “Slow Motion” I was very inspired by the films of Wong Kar Wai and Sofia Coppola. I think their films stretch out candid mundane moments and make them feel surreal and nostalgic and reflective.

For you, what was the initial spark that pushed you towards creating this project? What compelled you to start the journey as a whole?

After releasing three EPs, I naturally wanted to make an album, but I didn’t really think about it until a year after the last EP. I realized I had a collection of songs that were all quite autobiographical and cohesive sonically, so I put them together and wrapped it up like an album.

One of your great components is your ability to work on so many aspects of your art individually. Do you find having a hands on to all approach truly allows your vision to shine and is it something you’d recommend to other artists?

I think I enjoy doing that because I am a control freak. I also just like trying to do everything even if I know someone else can do it better… I think there is a lot to learn by trying to be responsible for everything. I would love to work more with other artists though and see how I can grow by exploring other directions.

If you could have any musician from history come into your artistic space and be a collaborative mind, who would you want it to be and why do you feel their presence would be valuable?

Thom Yorke because he’s a wild card in a good way, and I want to be more experimental with my process. I’d like him to throw up on my musical tendencies.

Looking forward, what is the key resonating message you desire for this project to imprint? If there was to be a core principle it stood for above all?

Hmm. I don’t have a message with the album - I just want people to listen to it and feel whatever they feel and think of whichever moments or people in their lives come to mind.

What concert in your life made the biggest impact upon you as an artist and why was it a key component to your growth?

I don’t go to shows often actually… one time I saw Frank Ocean in 2017 and it made a big impact because I couldn’t believe he was real. One time I saw Nick Hakim play in New York and he seemed so free and so lost in the song.

If you were to title the chapter of your life you are currently living in, what would you call it?

Shit Happens You’re In Your 20’s

And if you could predict the next chapter, what would you hope for it to be and what are you excited for it to hold?

I hope I get to stay in America for a few more years for the sake of my career. I hope to go on tour and release a bunch of music and make better music and work with more artists and producers. I hope all of my friends’ hard work pays off too

Do you have anyone to shoutout or anything to just say on a free moment here? The floor is yours.

Shoutout to my friends in LA especially, Zack, Alex, Brian, Parker, Marshall, Taylor, Anna, Eric, Dylan, Paulaine, Maddie, Siber, Kyle and Ariya. I miss them all and hope to see them as soon as possible.

                                                            -

Follow Cehryl on Instagram and Twitter

Listen to ‘Slow Motion’

                                                           -

Photos 1 and 2 by Gabriel Lee

Photo 3 by Taylor Clark

                                                           -

At some point, every artist will ask themselves whether or not they’re upon the right path. The fork in the road is more confusing than ever. Passion versus possible comfortability. LAN Party is no stranger to such a fork, to such a moment of self-reflection. But it is the truth of art which guided his soul towards the truth: that creation is his salvation.

While the last years may have mirrored a rollercoaster for the Chicago artist, the few pit stops between rides was a wave of creative euphoria no challenge could upset. The free flow of expression and humanistic understanding was at a level nothing else in life could develop. Passion was David against the Goliath of modernity.  

And as the story goes, David arose the victor. LAN Party similarly is in a spot of victory. He is set upon the beginnings of a journey with limitless opportunity. A journey where every fork in the road is positive and where decisions made are not with the possibility of a misstep. The future exists on the horizon, and for LAN Party, it is time for the horizon to become foreground. 

                                                       -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been lately?

My day is going good! I’ve been working on this song all day and I’m really excited about it. Lately, I’ve been busy with school, but I finally finished yesterday, so my schedule is going to be way freer.

For sure, having that freedom is beautiful. Did you feel a sense of impossibility with music with such a busy schedule?

Not impossible, it’s just harder for me to get into the right headspace when I feel like I have other obligations that I need to take care of. I also make some of the craziest shit at like 4am, so having to go to bed somewhat early was kind of a drag.

During that time of difficulty, did you ever have doubts about your commitment to music or is it something that could never die no matter what came up?

I’m going to school for audio engineering, so my schedule still revolves around music just from the recording perspective. I’ve never had serious doubts because of my school schedule, but when I first got to college, I definitely went through a rough year trying to figure out if the music was worth it or right for me. Eventually, I just experimented enough and found my strengths and what I wanted to do with music.

Absolutely, most creative-minded people have those moments at some point, if not constantly. But, how would you compare where you stand now with music to where you were when you first began? What challenges existed within that transition?

When I first started making beats, I was constantly trying to make stuff that I thought would fit an artist that I had in mind. I felt like I had to stay within certain constraints if I ever wanted it to actually reach an audience. When I started just making music that I would want to listen to, it was so much more rewarding and I realized that people would rather hear your unique perspective, and not necessarily your best imitation of someone else’s. It just took me a lot of time and frustration to come to that realization.

It’s a pretty large epiphany to have as an artist. Do you think part of that initial mindset was due to your influences at the time doing the same for other artists? Or were your influences more full-fledged artists that you were always trying to be more so like?

I think it was more that I felt like I had to be realistic and bend to the artists around me in order to get any kind of audience. So I wasn’t making the stuff that I was super passionate about, I was just trying to make other people happy.

Now that you’re more sure of your artistic, and I’d assume personal self; what would you say is the vision you've centered on with your music and what is it that you value within art?

Shit man, I honestly don’t have an overarching vision of what I want to do with music, I really just make whatever excites me and makes me happy in that specific moment. What I make is usually directly influenced by whatever I’ve been listening to lately or ideas that I think would be fun to try out. So I guess I have short term visions that I try to make happen, but no central focus for my music.

But maybe then the central focus is to always be happy and to combat any and all negativity persuaded by the outside influences of the world?

I would say it’s even simpler than that. It’s more just to make whatever that moment calls for. Whatever I think is “missing” or could be improved upon in music.

What do you feel this moment in music is missing then?

Nobody’s making bopping music anymore. We gotta do something about that.

You mentioned that you also care for music you're currently listening to and what you're currently influenced by. At this moment, what is that, both in and out music? What is it that you're finding to be your artistic motivation?

I’ve been really into Jim-E Stack lately. He has these big, natural drum tones and super sleek 80’s production but you can tell it’s modern, I’ve been using a lot of those elements lately. I think learning more about recording and engineering has also inspired me to record more real instrumentation and not be sloppy with how you record them. Other than that, my friends that I regularly make music with really help me get different perspectives.

Absolutely, your focus in school seems to be teaching you that tightness in sound and work. On the topic of friends in music, how do you find collaboration currently, not in a past sense when it was just beat making for others, to shape how you approach creation?

When I say that making stuff for others was holding me back, I don’t mean that it’s a bad idea to make something with someone in mind, it’s just that I thought that I had to only make stuff for others because I couldn’t do it myself. I think it can be super fun to dip your hand in different genres you don’t normally gravitate towards and try to put your own spin on things. As long as I and the other person have mutual love and understanding of each other’s music it’s super rewarding to work together, even if it’s not my comfort zone.

Now in terms of your work alone currently, how are you approaching your new creations and what changes are you trying to make within your sonics and lyrical qualities?

Lately, I’ve been trying super hard not to commit to one idea for what direction I want the song to go and just letting myself completely change the song if I’m not quite excited enough. It ends up being a super time-consuming process and I have 7 completely different versions of each song I’m working on, but I think it’s the best way to make something super crazy.

Is part of the process for you to attach an aesthetic component to your work? You do fit yourself into a more digital and computer-based visual world, but does that shape the music you make?

I really wish I had a better eye for visual art. I’ve always struggled with picking cover art and trying to represent the music visually so I typically leave that up to other people around me who have a better eye for design. My input is pretty much whether I like it or not.

Interesting, do you feel there is an importance to that aspect of an artist or is that something almost irrelevant and a total afterthought to you?

It depends on the artist. For some people image can be so central that it kind of outshines the actual music and I think there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not super important to me.

You’ve said a lot that you have this newfound freedom and a lot of new ability with your music. That asks though what goals you are trying to achieve in the coming months and years and what milestones are key for you to hit?

I think right now I just hope to be able to reach a level where I can work with the people who I look up to and am inspired by. A sizeable audience would, of course, be cool too, but it’s less important to me.

Do you think part of your coming goals revolve within the live setting and if so, how do you hope to individualize it to your own artistry?

Live performing is something I’m still very new to. I’ve never played original songs at a show, I’ve just done DJ sets here and there. It’s definitely something I want to work on once I have more time, but right now, I’m focusing on just making more music. I want to make sure I can perform at a level that I’m proud of before I really start doing shows. I don’t want my shows to be me just singing over a backing track, it’s gotta be crazy.

Right right, it has to match the level of energy in the tracks. Do you plan to make it more of a show than just a performance? The idea of adding layers beyond just the songs and making it a full-fledged universe with the work?

Something like that, yeah. I’m not sure what it would look like but I want it to be memorable. I feel like I go to a lot of boring shows.

As a closing idea, what do you want the mark of LAN Party and your art to be in the future when it's all said and done and what do you want it to mean to the larger musical consciousness?

I hope that people think I tried to make something different from what was already out there, whether it be good or bad. I think the biggest contribution you can make is to make something that doesn’t yet exist.

Absolutely, that’s such a beautiful way to look at it. Do you have anyone to shoutout or promote? The floor is yours.

Chase Alex and Silver Sphere are the future of music.

                                                        -

Listen to LAN Party on Apple Music and Spotify

Follow on Instagram and Twitter

                                                        -

For Yuki, this is the shifting moment. This is the moment where the gear teeth align in his favor. It comes after the passing wave of his 18th birthday, a time of solidified adulthood, as well as after an enlighting collaborative experience. In many ways, you could say he’s beaten the final boss to the video game that was his adolescence. But then again, most successful games have a sequel. 

Being a New Zealand based producer, it was quite the culture shock to be called towards Los Angeles to work with Jaden on his new album ERYS. He admits it being a slight drowning sensation, one where he could’ve gone under at any moment. His few moments with his head above water were life-altering, no doubt, but it was still a deep end without an eventual bottom. 

But he survived. He swam. He succeeded. 

And thus he stands now 18 and fearless. If someone else’s deep end cannot swallow him, then his own never will. He stands upon the horizon of a new album, one that explores the sinking sensation, but also the beauty within our head emerging periodically to smell the air of enlightenment. 

And while he would’ve never told himself to do so, he is encouraging all to jump into their own deep ends, whatever it may be. He only does so because he knows that we will learn to swim before we drown. He knows we can break our environmental and mental shackles. He knows we can all be free. 

                                                        -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been lately?

My day today has been uneventful in a good way. Right now I’m very busy but very stagnant. There's a lot going on in preparation for big things but I feel like I’m not moving at all. It’s the busiest I've ever been while simultaneously having the most free time in my life.

And what does stagnation mean to you and what does it mean in your life currently?

The things I’m working towards aren’t within reach yet. I’m working towards a visa and it's a very slow process, I feel like all this crazy stuff is happening but it's not affecting my life directly right now. The great things aren't able to materialize yet.

What do you think, right now, is your most overwhelming and intense feeling within daily life? The one that hits most constantly.

If there was a couple, I’d say the feeling of being disconnected because I left LA and I feel left out from what's going on there. And a nervous excitement, a positive anxious feeling.

Do you feel emotionally whole within yourself or is there something you feel you're still looking for?

I think I'm pretty content with myself but I’m trying to be better at being me. I want to be able to learn to let things go and grow up. I’m in the last quarter of growing up. I feel I grew up very early and now I'm just learning all the little things, hence the album title. I honestly think once that’s done a lot will fall into place.

Well, let's talk about that album while you mention it. You’ve been working on it for a good minute now, but when did you realize you needed to start upon it and when did you feel it important to put yourself towards the turbulent process of an album?

When I went to LA I started working on an EP. I put a lot of my time into that over a few months and it didn't really stick with me so I scrapped it. I felt I hadn’t made a project in a long time so I was more excited to make music than ever. And especially working on ERYS was a whole other break of not being able to fully just do my work. So, I was bursting at the seams to express what I felt. It was the right time to focus on this project as I had so much to say. It is so draining to start an album because once you're in you can't stop unless you give up, which I hate doing.

Through the work what is that you needed to express and say and even currently what are you trying to externalize?

I think perspective is a big thing. I feel like all though this crazy stuff is happening a lot of it doesn't matter. I feel like a lot of artists feel very hopeless. Growing up is obviously a huge theme. Letting go of things and moving on from mistakes. Figuring out who you are. The album is pretty much just growing up, I think.

Let's compare honesty then, how much more honest do you feel is in this project more so than your last and do you think that's something you've gotten better at?

I think I'm definitely more honest in this project just due to being older. I got thrown in the deep end a bit with the whole LA thing. I think I was forced to adapt very quickly because I dropped out of school at 17 and then started living on my own in a whole new city with a new way of life. People drove on different sides of the road. People talked differently. I had to grow up to mentally survive. I feel like I’ve been the same mentally from 14 to 17, I’ve been the same since I became a teenager. But since becoming 18m and being an adult, it's the right time to express something completely new on this album.

Did you feel like 18 was a number that resonated with you as a sort of shifting moment in realizing this is the beginning of something more legitimate?

Definitely, I always used to say I wanted to be 17 forever because then if I kept getting better at music, I can be the gimmick artist who’s young and talented. But there's so much I don't know about life that I actually now want to grow up and learn about it. 18 was the moment that I can stop giving myself excuses about being immature and I can finally force myself to grow up. After years of finding yourself, 18 is a year where you can finally start to implement it to make your life the best it can be.

Well what does that implementation look like for you and what are the ways you've done so?

I think to make mistakes and coming back from them. Trying to move on and focus on myself more. I'm trying to take time out of my day to make me happy more and to not be focused on negative energy. I've learned that while music makes me so happy, I have to give myself the time to do nothing or watch a movie, collect magazines or buy some stupidly expensive candle.

Then is happiness what matters to you above all right now? Or is there another goal and milestone to grab as well?

Happiness and being sane through the ups and downs, no matter what’s thrown my way.

In your project right now, what are the technical changes you've made and the developments you’ve made into your sound and actual technical ability?

Going into the professional aspect of music with Jaden seriously opened my eyes up to new techniques and work ethics. I think I can flesh out my ideas ten times more than I could before. The production is better and my song ideas are better. This album is experimental, I fit so much into a song without making it feel crowded and it feels much longer as a song than the actual runtime. Pushing things sonically to where I'm overloaded but then refining it later. I feel I looked at this project like my Cherry Bomb, which is my favorite project, and asked myself how could I do my own “Cherry Bomb” album, relative to my discography. Taking the idea of going wherever I wanted but making it easy to listen to.

Well, the interesting thing with Cherry Bomb is that it’s an album where if you took all of Tyler's discography and laid it out in a line you can point at that as the shifting moment. So how do you feel you want everything to look after this shifting moment for you and what do you want it to lead towards?

I think there's a lot of music that sounds the same in the whole DIY bedroom artist scene and I feel like there's a stigma that comes with that. There’s the assumption that nobody has the resources to execute anything “professional” sounding or cleanly executed. so there's a stigma where it’s ok if it sounds like shit because it’s an independently released “bedroom pop” song. I want to make the cheapest but also the most luxurious album. I’m taking care to set up my mics and instruments properly, organize my files better and plan more. I’m also not mixing the album myself. Even just outsourcing work is something that a lot of independent musicians won’t do because they want to rep the “I did it all myself” title, shout outs to James Rim, my mentor, and engineer for this album, he’s so talented and amazing at overseeing things and being a huge enabler for me. . I want this to be a shift for me and others where we don't have to have a label budget but we can still push it to another level of musical expression. I want it to be a point where I’m serious about making the best music possible from my bedroom without the limitations.

You've been talking about growing up and youth but that's very familiar in the subgenres you're saying you want to break out of. Do you feel there are themes beyond those you want to touch on but maybe haven’t fully experienced yet?

I think I don't even know yet. I tend to talk about what's happened lately and it's an album about recent ideas like my stress from LA and social anxiety, but that I'll grow out of. I guess we'll just have to see. Every six months for me is a new phase.

Do you break your life into eras and phases?

100 percent, yes.

What’s this era called then?

The ‘be free’ era. All my friends are working towards their own projects and are stressed and happy and sad but we’re all very focused.

So what does it mean to be free to you, you've also called it in the past ‘being free like Paris Hilton’. What is that concept in your mind?

The ‘be free’ side is being the most stressed you've ever been and getting to the point of breakdown but then releasing something beautiful or having something happen in your life and to just move forward. And the Paris Hilton side of it comes from the second version of Nikes off Blonde where this rapper raps in Japanese and says be free like Paris Hilton. I interpreted it is that she's this figure that embodies Hollywood and has embraced it and loves the red carpet, but she talks about feeling lonely and lost and not having a purpose and that she's missing out.

It's almost like Jim Carey said he wants everyone to be rich and famous so they can learn it’s not the answer to their problems.

Exactly and that's the Hollywood thing where there's dark Hollywood and the glamourous Hollywood coexisting.

You did spend a good amount of time in LA and for anyone who didn't know you worked closely with Jaden and worked heavily on ERYS, and you said it opened your eyes to the technical side and that it was a turbulent time, but what was the biggest lesson from the time working on the project as a whole?

I think the biggest lesson I learned was, as corny as it sounds, to believe in yourself. It's about telling yourself that you're special and knowing it and being proud of ourselves. I went into the studio as an underdog with these amazing producers, I had to use that energy to perform and succeed.

Does that mean to you that this journey in music is not about self-validation but more about fulfillment and building yourself and finding personal answers?

I think the thing for me is to achieve my goals and its above all being able to be in a happy state and constantly create.

Of the last year as a whole, what memory means the most to you and is one that stands out the most?

I was going to go on a tourist visa to LA to meet people but on the way, I went to Vancouver and I met Seungjin, the best human being on planet earth. I was so happy and I had shit going before I left but it really cleaned my whole palette. When I got back to LA I was feeling pretty hopeless and I was so close to giving up, but last minute I met Jaden and it all just steamrolled from there. Shit gets bad in life but how bad is it actually? I have a roof over my head, friends, supportive parents, clothes and food and water. Once you break it down and realize all the small stressful shit in your life means nothing, you start to appreciate the stuff that matters

So it was happiness instead in the mundane in life and the simplicities of daily existence?

Exactly, it was realizing that shit sucks in the moment but we always get over it. It always moves on.

On top of Seungjin and that friendship, this ERYS project was a lot of collaboration and you also work with a lot of other talented artists in your scenes, but what does it mean to you to be collaborative and how did you put yourself into that space?

I think it's about removing the selfish side of it, we all want to make something sick and be successful, but realizing we’re not here to just make a beat and then have our name on it but instead to help someone else shine, to help Jaden shine in this case.

What artists right now do you think you would be able to accentuate the best?

Lil Uzi Vert because when he gets a producer that makes him shine it's not even fair how good it is. I want to get on some K-Pop shit as well.

In your career and most of all through creation as a whole, what is that you’re trying to achieve as an overarching mantra?

I want to inspire people like I was inspired by people like Tyler and Earl and Mac Miller. I want to be the next generation' inspiration so I can create hope, even if it’s small.

So is part of it trying to create a wave?

Not even a wave, even just one kid stuck in their hometown having my songs give them the confidence is all I want. I want their lives to be lived to the fullest. There's a generation of genius kids stuck in the grinder, I want someone to make the decision about what they want to be and not what their parents want.

In your eyes, what does it mean then to be a hero or is that a concept that is overdone in art and music?

No, I think it can exist through both of those, I think as long as it’s positive. If you try to be a hero, super hard, you'll never be one. If your motives are pure and authentic you can harness that and you can teach and inspire others. Tyler’s focus was never to change LA, he was just being himself and the rest came. People will come when they come, the money will come when it comes.

How do you feel that right now your music is impacting others and how do you notice it daily?

It's crazy because looking back I’d never thought anything would ever happen. It's back to that sense of hope, even when things are slow, realizing that what you're doing means something to someone out there whether you know it or not. It's so crazy to even think about.

Going into the rest of this year and beyond, what’s your biggest goal and necessary milestones?

To release my album, and on top of that, my goals are literal such as getting my visa and living in LA. But above all I want to be free, that’s what it’s all about.

Do you have anyone to shoutout or promote? The floor is yours.

All of my friends: Maxwell, Luke, Tom. James Thorington, he’s crazy. And Seungjin. Seungjin is the man. The amazing producer, engineer, and mentor: James Rim.

                                                         -

Follow Yuki on Instagram and Twitter

Listen on Spotify and Apple Music

                                                         -