Abstrakt Sonance Interview Late July 2013; The sun broke through the dusty woven window of my oddly placed tent as the thunderous roar of the very alive and communal BASS CAMP blasted into my newly found consciousness. Still drunk and some what high from the night previous I found my way to the entrance and unzipped it with the furious anticipation to obtain a crisp and extravagant pacific pilsner from my cooler, when I found myself face to face with the one and only Abstrkt Sonance. Although I had not officially met him yet there was friendly connection that had conducted throughout the festival. As I collected myself back to some "normal" plane I tended to my duties, which included the crucial task of assuring everyone was have THE best time of their lives. As I did my rounds I found myself strolling into the circle Abstrakt had created with his equally talented friends. I introduced myself and we began talking; and that's when the intrigue took hold. Abstrakt explained the unique and obscured history of his termoiled upbringing. Abstrakt discussed his attempted suicide, his massive heart attack and his rise to be one of the most creative and influential young musicians that I have had the pleasure meet.
Nearly a year later I had the pleasure to inter view him so please enjoy this interview with the one and only Abstrakt Sonance. First off, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview, Little Bone is honored to feature you! LB: What exactly is the west Ave philosophy and what is your vision for the company? AS:My vision of the company is to have one of the most influential labels of the upcoming years. Not only am i proud of the talents , and efforts of every individual on the team, but everyone puts out positive energy into the universe, and brings an array of mental and physical strengths that not only constantly improve themselves, but also the environment they are surrounded in . Everyone in West Ave is a leader, and we have really positive messages we want to get out in the world, as well as our music! LB: Is where you are now where you expected to be and how much of it is random? AS: Well, i manifest everything that happens, so i know that everything will happen , its just a matter of when! :D ... i stay working hard every day, keep the work ethic vigilant, and know in the end it will pay off... a matter of when is always a question, but i know we are headed for greatness LB: Do you find yourself following a certain dynamic when you write your music like a certain equation? AS: No, my music is sporadic and all over the map! I run with influence and inspiration ... whatever comes comes!! ... if i wanna design a crazy synth, i work on sound design, .... sometimes rhythms are in my head so i bang out some crazy drums. LB: Do you seek out new artists or do you find that artists generally approach you considering you are so busy? AS: A bit of both!! im always on the look out for new talent, and we ALWAYS have new talent coming forth wanting to join us in our adventure .... there are so many talented artists out there (with good spirits) that i wihs to include on the team, but i do not have enough time to do everything properly for everyone, so we are not looking to grow in #'s drastically ... always looking to take on some new talent tho ... NEW TALENT IN MY EYES RIGHT NOW ... producers ... StepOne (Penticton) Metaphoracle (Kelowna) rappers ... Saintanik (Calgary ) 3 artists i been watching for a while! :D LB: How does the B.C culture influence your music and do you feel like you would ever spend extended time in perhaps another country to use that as inspiration? AS:I would live in Czech Republic. Prague .... will be the second home i buy !! .. i find much inspiration and great friends/people there ... WEEEED! bahahah!!! coming from BC ,... my whole life is influenced, and ESPECIALLY my music ... Last EP ... WEST COAST TREES EP (free download) as well, the ability to walk around freely, enjoy the sun, trees, mountains ... i live in Salmon Arm, BC ... 10,000 people ...very desolate... lots of mountains and outdoors stuff to do!! i live my life for the earth! LB: Do you plan on touring overseas in the near future? AS: 2 Europe tours in the midst right now actually ... One early spring ... One summer time for festivals LB: Have you ever thought about signing on musicians from different genre's onto west ave I.E folk or rock? AS: Yes we have tons of Hip hopers on the label ... multi genre EDM ...and we actually started off as acoustic label... but figuring out what i wanted to do with my dreams/company. .. we had to let acoustic artists go and push on the HIP HOP / BASS MUSIC side LB: Do you see yourself perhaps creating music other than electronic/hip-hop? AS: Every day ... i own a full recording studio ... record bands for part of my living ... incorporate them into my music .. even live violinist/stand up bass/singers/rappers/pianists/organists/guitarists etc i love MUSIC!! don't mater what genre!! GIVE IT TO ME ALL! LB: What was the pivotal moment where you realized this is what you wanted to do with your life? AS: Probably after i woke up from the heart attack ... then got my door kicked in and robbed twice within two weeks .... with the help of my friends, they moved me to salmon arm, and let my dream come to life... As teenagers, me and my good homies wanted to party as a living ,call it WEST AVE PRODUCTIONS ... years later, sick of partying, we just wanna make music as a living ,and keep the dream WEST AVE PRODUCTIONS alive LB: Finally, what was the best show you have ever played? AS: Way too hard to say.... monumental things ... first time playing with Mat the Alien in Whistler @ Maxx Fish .... then shooting my first music video up there with him a year later ... playing with TRUTH in Munich, Germany ... ...playing with Zeds Dead in Prague , CZ ... the friends i met in Prague ... i went back for a month long tour ,hanging with the same crew, crushing 8 cities in eastern Europe ...U4eeyah music festival ... was nice to get a really dope slot at a proper festival .... ... tough question ... every show is a blast!! |
More Than A Hobby, Less Than A Career arrived at the quaint Mount Tolmie dwelling of Dylan Proctor with Producer Jake Kerr and made our way around the side of the house to the narrow stairway leading up Dylan's main entrance only to find the boys casually conversing on the landing. As we approached them a fourth person emerged from the main doorway; none other than Pete from the immortal band Canvas. After giving our greetings and small talk Dylan would go on to say the words that I had been longing to hear, spiking my addiction to an unbearable level; "We were just about to jam, want to watch?" Still recovering from the first time I heard 9Volt Whisky (a week previous) I could not help but listen with most intrigue. The Syd Barrett meets Dick Dale with a cup of soul sound of Nick's electrifying guitar, The thunderously California swing style roar of Dylan's drums and the ever growing technical fluidity of Colm's Bass, I once again found myself in a state of sonic utopia mixed with psychedelic psychosis. 'Who the hell are these guys to be playing this?" I thought to myself as I devoured every note. A sound I thought to be long lost in the filthy ruin of the immaculate generation of music we call the 60's. Along with their catchy as hell originals, they played covers such as "Pipeline" and "Miserlou" After finishing up their set we perched ourselves in the living room and began our discussion. "More than a hobby, less than a career" Nick spoke with hint of natural mystic elegance, leisurely passing the conversation over to Dylan; the bearded paisley clad drummer. "we are just kind of jamming and decided to play some shows" Dylan said modestly looking back at Nick and Colm. Only deciding to form a group mere months previous; 9Volt Whisky has set a standard in the rock scene of Victoria. Accompanied by the likes of Canvas and Sexweather, the local scene has some exceptionally large shoes to fill. Explosive energy launching you through a psychedelic passage back to the sixties leaving you blasted out of your skin. With aspirations of heading into the studio in the very near future, I have a feeling we will be seeing 9Volt Whisky dominating Victoria, leading the listeners through many more experiences to come.
For further information on 9Volt Whisky, check out their facebook page below! https://www.facebook.com/9VoltWhiskey Article written by Adam JahBinu |