I recently reviewed Ben Steed's upcoming album on Twice Removed Records entitled "From Here You Can See Everything" ... where I said this ... as well as other things:
"...What Steed packs into 36 minutes is more than some artists pack into their whole careers. The variety on display and, more importantly, the quality of each track is simply remarkable."At that point we had yet to connect on Twitter / Facebook etc ... we have since done so and I can confirm he is a top lad.
He happily answered my wee blog interview ... have a wee read below:
----------
1) Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Ben Steed. Hi! I'm a composer based in England. Musically I have composed various genres over the last few years but in more recent times I seem to be moving mostly towards ambient and piano-lead pieces. I have just recently finished my new album 'from here you can see everything' which is due to come out 1st July through Twice Removed Records.
2) What are you working on at the moment?
Right now I am taking a short break from any major pieces of work as I wait for the new album to be released, but I am occasionally twiddling with a live set I am slowly constructing and will soon be finishing up an EP of textural noise and ambiance planned to come out in August.
3) Who inspires you?
So many things inspire me it's hard to really put a finger on any of it. Musically, I'm inspired by so many artists it'd be possible to really start listing them, but it ranges from almost every genre under the sun. Acoustic stuff to noisecore, classical to ambient, post-rock to IDM, psychedelic to reggae… It's a never-ending, ever-growing list! But in terms of inspiration in general, it really is uncountable how many things inspire me. Please excuse this pretentious waffle, but I find poetry in everything, and it all offers its own unique form of inspiration.
4) What drives you to do what you do?
These days, nothing immediately conscious drives me. Music is in my blood, and deep in my subconscious. I LOVE writing and releasing music and there's no way out of it for me now. It's what I live for, because it just is. And whenever people express their enjoyment for my work, it really does blow me away and, if anything, makes me want to keep writing.
5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
Interesting question. I'm not sure if there *are* any specifically desired values. I much prefer people to take whatever they want from the music I make, develop their own opinions and interpretations. That said, I have always loved the idea of immersion, inspired by my own love of being utterly immersed when listening to music. I also enjoy the idea of 'vague storytelling' in my music. Leaving clues in my music towards concealed bigger notions is something I love doing, but I don't know if anyone's picked up on any of it yet!
6) What role does community play in what you do?
A huge one. I value every individual I've met in my life - both in person and online - and regard them at the highest level. There are so many talented people out there who I have had the pleasure to meet and, occasionally, work with. I have never really had a close connection to local communities and scenes (save for about 7 years ago when I was a strictly acoustic act), but there are certainly many communities online that I have come to love. I am an internet nerd, so running into these types of communities are to be expected for such a nocturnal introvert. I would say, though, that there is one community, one 'family', that has had the biggest impact on me and are a group I love unconditionally without question. They know who they are.
7) What is next for what you do?
After this new album drops I plan to, as I mentioned, release a short EP probably in August. After that, my next major release will be in the vein of ambient jazz which will most likely come out next summer sometime. Meanwhile, I am slowly writing my first novel, of which gradual progress is being made. I will also finish this live set I mentioned, and I plan for many more collaborative efforts with people, including my psybient duo Ibotenic and my psy-dub-post-rock-ambient band Access To Alchemy.
----------
Thanks Ben. I can't wait for the EP in August and some Ambient Jazz is right down my street!
"From Here You Can See Everything" is released on Twice Removed on 1st July :: http://twicerememberedtwiceremoved.bandcamp.com/
- Tx
No comments:
Post a Comment