Our mid December poddy comes from someone a little special. This is actually HEROARKY’s Debut podcast. The australian based artist has put out some amazing records of late and we wanted to get him on to share what he has to offer.
For people who are unfamiliar with your work, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and where you have come from?
I grew up in Tokyo, Japan then migrated to Australia when I was 18. Back then I used to do busking with my guitar but those days are long gone now. My influence comes from minimal artists as well as movie soundtracks which I grew up listening to but recently listening more to lo-fi/ rominimal house music. I’ve also been a fan of experimental artists who break the status quo.
How do you see your sound? What are you trying to push?
I see my sound to be having earthy, ambient textures mixed with extraterrestrial-like sonic waves, sort of trying to exist here on this planet but also transcending to somewhere outer space at the same time? These days, I’m making minimal house or experimental music but it depends on my mood what I want to create, often influenced by what’s happening outside of music.
Who are the main inspirations behind your music?
I get inspiration from a wide range of artists and genres – Joe Hisashi, Steve Reich, Daniel Avery, Petre Inspirescu, and many more.
Do you see your sound progressing, where are you taking it in 2021?
Yeah when I started out producing, it was mainly sample based but recently I’m trying more hardware gears. I found analog gears give this warmth which is hard to emulate in a full digital set up. I’m keen to explore modular synth and take my sound out of box even further.
Let’s get a bit techy, tell us a little bit about your studio setup?
My studio setup is quite minimal. In my latest EP, I’ve used MicroKorg, Minilogue, Digitakt, found sounds that I’ve collected in a random place, and some samples and native instruments like Operator from Ableton.
Are there any bits of kit which are vital to nailing the HEROARKY sound?To create ambient fields, I often sit in a cafe or park and record surrounding noise through my headphones. Sometimes I use tracks that I didn’t end up releasing by throwing them into a granular synth plugin and make original multi-layered synth sounds. I use a lot of foley sounds/samples and play randomly using my keyboard. I also like using LFO from Max for Live, mapping them to different parameters create randomisation and interesting sound effects.
Do you perform or program? or both? Do you have any thoughts on how to lay a track down?
I do both but these days, I’m more into performing. Silent Invasion, for example, was recorded at one go while twisting knobs. I wanted to create something really minimalistic and evolving in that opening track, just using one sound but nothing else. It doesn’t happen often but when you have this creative energy flowing in your head, it’s really quick to make something that you are happy with. I don’t have much patience to adjust every EQ and automation parameters in DAW so I found it easier to create a track while playing and recording synth.
Can you share any production techniques that you think would really help people?
When I started producing I used to keep adding lots of sounds, effects and layers as Ableton has got tons of features and plug-ins then spent a lot of time tweaking, listening to the same track over and over. You get attached to your track and get lost with it after all. So I tried just sticking to one main sound that I liked and tried to develop a track from a melody or harmony that I recorded. I think that also gives consistency when you are putting a few tracks together for EP. Another thing I tend to do now is to limit the time that I spend on mixing. If I had to spend too much time on EQing, then I would think that maybe there’s a problem with my sound choice at the beginning.
How is the scene where you live? Can you clue us into some talent we might not know? Some local or new artists who are inspiring you?
To be honest, I’m not much familiar with the scene being people-shy and a loner. But as far as I know, I think there are lots of big local/international talents here that I get inspiration from, DJ Plead, Ninajirachi, Cop Envy, Logic1000, just to name a few.
Music can be so all encompassing, but outside of music, do you spend your time on anything else? What do you do to keep the balance in your life?
My day time job working with refugees has also been a big part of my life learning which has shaped who I am here in Australia. When I’m stuck with making music, I go for a walk, work out, swim or whatever I can to energise my brain then go back to the studio again.
What big things do you have coming up?
Hoping to take some time off work and travel throughout Europe once the border is open!
Check out his latest record here: https://heroarky.bandcamp.com/
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