In this interview feature, we spend some time with Joe of The Slow Revolt to discuss music, influences, the new project and more.
Full Q&A, links, some accompanying photography, and streams can be found below. Be sure to support the band by grabbing the album from Bandcamp.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
My sound is the product of many things, only some of which are intentional. Guitar as my first instrument, a love of song, a certain pathos to my voice, a reflective lyrical sensibility, a love of beat-based electronic & club music, a palette that draws on years of absorbing all kinds of sounds and genres, pop & experimental – all these things and more are funneled through modest, electronic, solo bedroom-producer means. On paper I guess its indie electronica, but also a sound that sits between a few worlds.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Music’s been central for much of my life, little else seems to close the mind/body circuit quite so irreducibly for me. I started making music in my teens and it remains an inexhaustible thing. Performing was part of the attraction even when young and, if conditions align during a show its still a really singular feeling. Releasing music is a fairly new experience for me and it’s a unique time to be doing so, it’s never been easier nor more banal, in a way. It can be exciting, yet equally exposing and deflating, tossing a track out into the digital ether, but the effort can sometimes be rewarded in unpredictable ways. I remember standing on the streets of Prague the day after a show last year, thinking of how incredulous it was that one of my songs could have carried me there. I try to regularly remind myself of this – it’s these slim miracles that that keep you at it.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
It’s always evolving. I grew up around painters, so creative work seemed to be a given. Musically, there are certain enduring touchstones from my teens – Horses, Astral Weeks, For The Roses, Rid of Me, Bowie, Sly Stone, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Sonic Youth. But it was moving to London where my horizons really expanded. Artists like Autechre, My Bloody Valentine, Ricardo Villalobos, Tony Conrad, Steve Reich, late-era Talk Talk, grime & garage at FWD, jazz and free improv shows at Cafe Oto, pirate radio; taking all this in whilst DIY touring the UK in a band on the fringes of the metal & mathrock scenes. These days I’m more selective, turning a little more to concise, pop structure than long-form material. My tastes are catholic as ever but I‘m harder to please, perhaps more blunted to hype. I also generally have less time give to discovering other people’s work – I’m busy working on my own material. But plenty still excites me.]
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
My latest EP, Sketches is a series of experiments, curiosities & versions; clues to emerge from ongoing album-writing sessions. Up to this point my releases have been largely beat-based and electronic, so here I wanted to reveal more of my range. They’re also lighter, subtler tracks, fairly unconcerned with the requirements of a ‘single’ release. Generally, I’m fascinated with what a song can withstand; what themes, what deconstruction, what sounds, and these tracks are part of that inquiry.
What was the last song you listened to?
A you tube clip of Melanie De Biasio playing The Flow (HEX RMX) live at Montreux Jazz Festival.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl for the ritual, mp3s for convenience.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify’s playlists seem really powerful for getting your music out into unexpected territories and large audiences, but their royalty rates are pretty shocking. It’s a real wild west on that front. Bandcamp cuts a fairer deal, and though comparatively niche, it seems that with hard work smaller artists can cultivate something with it. Pragmatically though, you have to use every channel at your disposal. I’ve little interest as a listener in the paywall approaches, like Apple Music – I guess some sectors of the industry are trying to reassert authority over consumers. I just don’t really see that working.
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?
The conditions of the digital era are such that breaking through to new audiences requires a constant stream of immediate, concise, well promoted music. This is a challenge if you’ve subtler or broader aesthetic ambitions, value quality over quantity, or more prosaically, if you’re not doing this full time or lack any significant backing. Most of the popular, social media channels through which we reach and maintain a fanbase are constantly evolving and trying to monetise themselves , so retaining a clear route to an audience can become costly, inefficient, or simply stop working – its all very transient and takes a shrewd, endlessly adaptive approach and a lot of work to build a solid platform for yourself. It’s a full time job – as a solo musician, the time left to make music is very slim. Also, do those that engage online come to shows? I’m not so sure.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Subscribe to my mailing list at www.theslowrevolt.co.uk for all your needs.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Thanks for your time and stay tuned for the next release.
