Singer-songwriter Chris James introduces us to his unique blend of stunning cinematic-folk on his new EP Space In The Clouds, out on December 9th, 2016 via AWAL.
The EP is about overcoming a difficult, dark period in his life and musically James combines influences from his days as lead singer songwriter of electro-rock pioneers Stateless with folk and modern electronica.
Space In The Clouds begins with Chris talking to his younger self through a time lapse with DM Stith (Sufjan Stevens) playing the counter voice. Throughout the EP, his compelling vocals take centre stage, complimented by the combination of intricate folk and synth sounds akin to the likes of Björk, with epic atmospheres reminiscent of Sigur Rós.
In this interview spotlight, we speak with Chris about his new project, challenges as an indie muso in this digital age, his influences and much more.
Full Q&A as well as links and streams below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I’ve always worked in electronic music, but with this project I wanted to go back to the music and song-writing that I grew up with, stuff like Bob Dylan, Leornard Cohen, Nick Drake and John Martyn. I still use electronics but in a more subtle way.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I guess since around 2007, back in the MySpace days…haha!
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I sometimes take influence from poetry, and often film. I keep going because I LOVE music, and I’m always trying to come up with the next thing.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
I was trying to create a sound that was more atmospheric and minimal than stuff I’ve done in that past. Suneil Pusari (Michael Kiwanuka) who I worked with on this was instrumental in helping me find that sound, he’s a very good friend, and we’re so comfortable with each other, that helped it to be a very natural process. We went up to the dales in North Yorkshire and recorded in a freezing cold barn in the middle of winter. Was pretty bleak time of year, but a beautiful journey. Hopefully we’ve captured that on the record.
What was the last song you listened to?
Honestly, it was some Beethoven string quartets. They are incredible.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl. But, I live in London so sadly I don’t have any space in my flat to set up a record player. I will do in the longer term, but for now it’s usually digital listening.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I guess I use Spotify more often because they catalogue things chronologically, and although it might sound geeky, I like to know what year something came out because it puts the music in context for me.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
I think the challenge is that getting it out there now takes up so much time and effort, that you have limited time left to actually work on music! It’s so time consuming making records, it’s really tricky to carve out enough time and space to be creative. And I want to feel like I’ve tried my best with the music, before I spend time trying to push it out there.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
For those in the UK I have a gig on Tues 1 Nov at The Stage Door in Southampton, and a special AV show in London on Tues 8 Nov at The Forge in Camden, with visuals from the award winning Exceeda. I haven’t done a live stream yet, but I’d like to. I’d also really love to go back and play in the US like we did on the Shadow tour. Had lots of support from over there, but it’s so expensive to get a visa and flights etc, hopefully one day!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Shout out and much love to everyone who worked on the EP: Suneil Pusari, Lorna Rose, Nick Ramm, Ben Trigg, Arista Hawkes and Barny Barnicott. Massive thanks to everyone who has followed/liked/retweeted/shared and especially to those who have come to my gigs, the support is really important to me and much appreciated.
