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At times Golden Living Room doesn’t feel human at all. The name is fitting, considering the haunting, yet lively atmospheres that flow through his hands and into our ears. Though he has a Master’s degree in string performance under his belt, it’s easier to imagine Golden Living Room siphoning spirits out of decrepit computers. The 28 year old Kansas-based artist invites STYLSS into his own (pretty golden, more like beige) living room to discuss his journey so far and adventures upon the horizon.
Additional words and interview by Andrew Eastman.
What
does STYLSS mean to you?
STYLSS is a constant reminder in my day to day life to stop being
so self-important.
How’d
you get into music?
My
parents always had music playing and my grandmother was a musician so being
constantly exposed to it definitely influenced me. I started
playing clarinet in grade school and I used to play “Last Resort” by
Papa Roach over and over until the music teacher would get pissed.
I was also
in a grunge band in the early 00’s and then decided to major in music. I have
my undergraduate degree in jazz studies with an emphasis on guitar and my
master’s degree is in strings performance with an emphasis on music theory.
Describe
your sound and what you’re going for.
I would describe my sound as spatial environments for your mind to
drift off to. The goal of my music used to be for meditation purposes but I’ve
since moved on to a more “found sound” style. I’ve been experimenting
with field recordings and mixing them with non-traditional forms. I used to
write music in sections but have recently started to go free form.
What’s
your favorite song you’ve ever made?
There is a song that I released on a split album with t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 called “NO LOVE FOR ANDROIDS” it
incorporated a lot of the elements that I mentioned in the last question.
https://soundcloud.com/goldenlivingroom/no-love-for-androids
What kind of equipment/program do you use to produce? Play out live?
I like to write music on keyboard initially
then move it to Ableton Live or Sony Vegas and manipulate it. I use a notation
program called Finale to write out compositions in notation form as well. Usually I record loops and sequences
on my sampler. Then I add chords behind the loops with my left hand and
improvise with my right hand while I use the keyboard.
I do play out
live once or twice a month but it’s not very easy in my small town. I use an
SP404 sampler, Yamaha DX7 and Roland GR-20 guitar synthesizer for my live
performances. I have
recently even incorporated guitar into my live work (even though it is my main
instrument). I like the Roland GR-20 because it mimics the sound of synths and
my technique is 100% better on guitar vs keyboard. My friend Ryan Hanna plays
live shows with me most of the time. He is great at listening and anticipating
what I will do next. Sometimes that is hard to predict!
What are you favorite artists/songs/albums?
Currently, I’ve been into Angel 1, Magic Fades, Ventla, CVLTS,
Vektroid, Zomby, Zazzo Air, Nico Niquo and Giant Claw.
I’m really into CVLTS new album “AUDIAL/S” and I’m
definitely anticipating Giant Claw’s new album “DEEP THOUGHTS”. I’ve
also really been into 2814 and their album 新しい日の誕生.
The new OHNELL album is also amazing as well.
If you had the opportunity to collab with one artist, who would it
be & Why?
Does Bach count? jk. I would definitely want
to collaborate with Oneohtrix Point Never because his music is a huge
inspiration to me. It would be easy enough because we could just name our super
group Cachero & Lopatin…Or Joel & Daniel. They both sound amazing. In
fact I’m going to hit him up with the idea via twitter and tell him that Joel
Cachero is the new Joel Ford. Seriously though, shout out to Ford & Lopatin,
their music is badass.
Who are some of your musical influences? What are your influences
outside of music?
My influences always change but I can always
say that Nobuo Uematsu is one of my main influences. Ornette Coleman, John
Coltrane, Sun Ra, Avey Tare, OPN and Vangelis are some other names that come to
mind.
Influences outside of music would be the
change of seasons, dreams, video games and parenting for sure.
What was the last live show you attended? and/or Favorite
Artist/DJs you’ve seen live?
I had the opportunity to see Death Grips. It
was a pretty rad experience because I was in the mosh pit for most of the show.
Since I live in small town Kansas many artists do not come through. I usually
have to drive a few hours if I want to catch a show. I have seen Blockhead (I
even shared the stage with him) and Devendra Banhart live before. Most of the
music that I get to see live consists of local artists. I had the opportunity
to play a show with some of the artists on the net label Beer on the Rug. I
particularly enjoyed the mesmerizing live performance from YYU.
If you could only listen to one artist for the remainder of your
life who would it be & why?
Nobuo Uematsu would be my choice not just for
the nostalgia but also because his music is beautiful and it makes me feel warm
inside.
What else do you do besides music? Hobbies? Day Job?
I just recently quit my day job because I was working about 13
hours a day and I was exhausted. Now I am a stay at home dad and I’m working on
finishing up my teaching licensure. Parenting is definitely my biggest
undertaking at the moment. I also enjoy collecting physical copies of music
i.e. tapes, CD’s and vinyl records.
If you had $1000 cash given to you right now, what would you do
with it?
I would probably spend it all on discogs.com
Do you have any advice to share with upcoming/aspiring music
producers?
Do not be afraid to change directions in music
just because you have a following in a specific scene or genre. Always be
receptive to different styles and try not to let one genre define you.
Do you have any life advice or wisdom to share?
Don’t let your selfish desires get in the way
of giving your full attention to the people you care most about.
C O N N E C T • W I T H • G O L D E N _ L I V I N G _ R O O M :
https://soundcloud.com/goldenlivingroom
https://www.facebook.com/GoldenLivingRoom
https://twitter.com/goldenlivinroom
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The STYLSS Spotlight is curated to showcase & spotlight STYLSS affiliated artists & our friends from around the world.
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