Jonni Slater‘s live band set fuses electronics and sampling with guitar, keys, and bass, big vocals and epic atmospherics, with echoes of Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, David Bowie, and a dash of Beck.
The solo sets reveal the songs in a more intimate light, with guitar or piano-based songs supported by electronic loops, breaks and ambient sounds.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Jonni about motivations, the new project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and streams can be found below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
My style of music is kind of a mashup of all my influences and the kinds of sounds that I love to hear, from jazz/blues piano over looped drum-grooves to full-on rock guitars to synthpop to simple singer-songwriter tracks on piano or guitar. The key elements that tie those different sounds together in my recordings, though, are the kind of ambient sounds I’m using in the background – guitars flooded in reverb, atmospheric vocal harmonies, synth washes – building those epic soundscapes is one of the most enjoyable things about recording this kind of music for me.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I’ve been making music as long as I can remember, and recording for just as long. I used to spend hours after school and at weekends with a budget tape recorder pushed up alongside my cheap keyboard, so that the internal microphone could pick it up properly, recording my ideas. I’d hate to hear any of those back now, but it established the habit that I haven’t been able to break since. And once you’ve recorded something that you’re really happy with, it seems a waste to stash it away and never let anyone else hear it – so I guess that’s the drive, really, just finding the people who like what I do, to breathe life into it.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
My tastes were mainly in the genre of alternative rock while I was in my teens and that still influences me now, but over time other flavours have crept in. Living and recording in Bristol, UK, with its musical history (Massive Attack, Portishead, etc) and working with other songwriters and musicians from around the world who have introduced me to classic soul, reggae and pop artists and songwriters that I never would have stumbled on myself, it all adds to the melting pot and after a while those sounds filter through, consciously or unconsciously.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
I often see stories playing in my head like movie scenes when I’m writing songs, so the visual element was a big thing with this project. I worked with two seriously talented illustrators from the southwest of the UK, who created complete comics for the two singles, which then became the videos as well as a bonus download when you buy the EP from my Bandcamp.
What was the last song you listened to?
‘Run For Love’ by Joan As Policewoman – groovy, soulful, classic – looking forward to her new record.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl for decorating the walls (until I settle in one spot long enough to warrant getting a turntable), CDs for those albums I bought as a teenager that still give me nostalgic enjoyment, and mp3s when I’m on the move.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Bandcamp is a great way to get more of a direct connection between bands and fans and for people to feel like they’re really supporting you; for myself, I’ve found some real hidden gems of records on there.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
It’s impossible to accurately describe the experience of listening to an individual piece of music in words, so the challenge is to catch someone’s attention long enough for them to listen. Naturally, platforms with curated playlists and suggestions for similar artists help fans navigate through the millions of hours of sound that are out there, but strong visual imagery has to play a big part in capturing that initial interest as well.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
For quick updates, Instagram is my favourite at the moment; as I say, I like communicating visually as well as through audio. For that reason, I like getting feedback via YouTube as well, where people can check out the imagery as well as hear the songs. Of course, you can keep an eye on my website jonnislater.com for updates too.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
The ‘Now’ EP is out now! An acoustic version of the EP will follow later in September.
https://soundcloud.com/jonnislater/sets/now
