In this interview, we chat with Oksami about influences, the new release, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Be Free 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)?
Arguably I don’t really have a style just yet. But everything I’ve made so far has been within the future bass/future beats realm, and they are really the sum of my influences at the time. I think the mixture of jazz and electronic elements (typical for future bass) is an amazing intersection that still has tons of potential. I listen to music to put myself in a certain mood or atmosphere, and I think future bass has so many different flavors that it has kept my interest for the past year or so.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I’ve been producing for about a year now and only started sharing my music around fall of last year.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I’ve been classically trained in piano so it’s actually been a little bit hard to try to shake off my classical roots. I’ve been studying a lot of jazz piano recently and have been trying to incorporate that into my works. As for artists, anything that I’m currently listening to – Louis the Child, STRFKR, Nujabes, ODESZA, Porter Robinson, Chance the Rapper to name a few.
The rush you get when finding a concept and a set of sounds that fits well is amazing. Sometimes you listen to a song and you get hooked – but it feels even better when you know that you made it and you have full creative control over the product. It’s enough to keep me going, even with no promise of money or artistic validation (though I definitely seek the latter).
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
No. This project was actually quite an accident and learning experience for me. It is the cleanest mix I’ve made so far in my opinion and was a lesson in doing more with less elements in my track.
What was the last song you listened to?
Days With You – Snakehips
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
No preference.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I prefer having a digital copy of my music. I love listening in the car and it’s too much of a hassle to jump between Soundcloud/Spotify to find songs that one or the other is missing.
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 my challenges are largely personal. I still am optimistic that my own musical skills will attract listeners once it has crossed a certain threshold and I am not there yet. Of course the market is saturated but I produce
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
No – but I certainly plan to in the future.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Thank you for featuring me here. Shout outs to everyone who has supported me and told me they liked my stuff even when it was terrible at the beginning – it motivated me to keep going and get past the initial hump.
