EMOTIONAL TY : House Music of the Third Kind
On his SoundCloud, Emotional Ty playfully describes his music as “shroom house”, a genre which suits his colorful beats perfectly. Somewhere between lo-fi house and vintage techno, the tracks that comprise the Swedish producer’s new album might indeed take you to a higher plane of consciousness. Roses & Aliens has this perfect balance of entrancing drum machine patterns, washed out synths and ‘verbed-out sample that makes the album a real delight to listen to, whether on headphones or in through a booming sound system. We had a chat with Emotional Ty to learn a little more about his creative process, his studio tools and the pleasure of releasing a physical record.
I love your new album Roses & Aliens. Can you take us through the creation of the record?
The first 3 tracks just sort of wrote themselves, but the last one, Edge Of The Horizon, was made during a minor creative crisis, that later turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I made that one in my studio space. The first 3 tracks were made in my kitchen, where I temporarily set up the gear, and the cozy vibe played a big part in the process. I spent about a week there, working late nights with headphones.
After a string of digital releases, this is your first vinyl. What does vinyl represent for you? Did it influence the making of the album in any way, from production to sequencing?
I wouldn’t say that vinyl as a medium was an influence, no. The fact that it ended up on vinyl is because I actually sent the tracks to some labels who never replied, so when I decided to release it on my own I thought that the music simply deserved to be released on a physical record instead of digital format.
The feeling of being able to have a final product in the shape of a record with your music on as opposed to downloads is incomparable.
How is the music scene in Malmö? Do you think living in Sweden has influenced your music in any way?
It’s thriving and has been since forever, because we have so many creative minds in this city who want to do their thing and it will never stop. There are several crews here that deliver club nights and music on a regular basis, such as Pommes 94, FNGRLCKN, Fauna, Retreat Radio, Alleycat Anthem and a whole heap of others who keep the scene alive. Besides that, we have two awesome vinyl shops here called Rundgång and Sound+Matter.
Living in Sweden has not influenced my music more than through the fact that I enjoy the sudden shifts of weather here. I like the dark periods as much as the sunny ones and generally weather is a big creative influence for me.
In your opinion, what makes a good DJ set?
Versatility for sure. I love to hear creative sets that either include a little bit of everything or enough variation within the same style to make things exciting. Clever and more bold mixing is something that I’m working on these days, that I want to implement more in my future sets, taking more advantage of the track selection as well as the gear. Everyone has their own approach to DJing though and sometimes the basics of just presenting an awesome selection, keeping it simple and letting the tracks speak for themselves can be just enough to keep a vibe going.
How do you approach the production of a new track? Are there things you do to spark your creativity?
I never have a clear idea of what I want to do when entering the studio in production mode and always start with a nice kick drum sound and work it out from there. I work with one sound at a time, so for starters, a kick drum, moving on to a bassline, hats/snares/percs, then adding different pads and melodies, and somewhere in there, the arrangement is done so that I can just move on to mixing when all sounds are there.
I prefer gear combined with a DAW to working strictly in the box. Using a few pieces of hardware with a DAW is just fun and inspiring. Been using the Analog Rytm and a modular rig with Reason for years and it’s a great combo. To spark creativity when in need I pound down a cup of coffee or three. Most would agree that it keeps you focused AF.
Have you discovered any interesting artists lately? Who are your favorite artists at the moment?
To be honest I feel that these questions are always difficult and a bit awkward to answer since there are SO MANY GOOD ARTISTS OUT THERE and it feels unfair and unsatisfying to only mention a handful of them. Many artists in all genres are making so much good music very close to my heart, none mentioned – none forgotten.
What can we look forward to from Emotional Ty?
Working on new music that will eventually be out, probably next year but hopefully sooner than that. Very different from anything before and it feels super exciting. This is all that is going on right now with the current state of the world, just taking the time to really develop artistically, both in the studio and behind the decks. Will be fun to see what the future holds.
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