We caught up with Sydney born producer Adam Dudek to discuss his new solo project Elkvilla.
Cougar Microbes: What time did you wake up today? Was it out of choice or necessity?
Adam Dudek: Today a little earlier than usual at 6 am for band rehearsals which I really look forward to!
CM: Describe your sound to the uninitiated?
AD: Slow moody music for late nights and wintery days. The foundation is indie folk but with a bit of ambient post-rock & electronic influence. My writing influences are artists like Elliott Smith, Damien Rice and Ben Gibbard and for sound, I’m really into artists like ólafur Arnalds, daughter and apparat.
CM: What have been the highlights of your year (musically and not) so far?
AD: Earlier in the year, I visited back home in Australia for the first time in almost 4 years, It was great to see family and friends and interesting to see how much has changed. Shortly after around February starting my solo project Elkvilla which is something I’ve always wanted to do!
CM: Tell us a little bit about your recent release:
AD: My last release was my second track called “Sink” It started with the line “I will row my boat, in no direction now /for I don’t need no compass/ I just need to sink/ In the sea” It was obviously at a somewhat down point everybody has every now and then.
I then recorded and mixed it in my apartment in Berlin, recording track by track until its what you hear today. Sometimes doing DIY can be a long repetitive process and towards the end, I feel like giving up on the song – but I’m glad I didn’t as I have received some really kind messages from people about it which really makes my day!
CM: What is the songwriting process like for you?
AD: A very small idea – I’m primarily a guitarist but I like to write on piano because I’m not super proficient at the instrument so I don’t get too distracted with doing anything fancy or fiddly like I sometimes do with the guitar. This way the basic chords melody and rhythm really have to hold up, after comes the fun part I absolutely love of arranging and producing the songs in my studio.
CM: What came first, the lyrics or the melody?
AD: Most of the time melodies come first with a very basic lyrical theme.
CM: Do your songs go through many revisions and demos before recordings?
AD: Definitely! The problem with trying to do everything alone some times is that you record ideas and loops bit by bit, and as one idea changes so should the other . for example a guitar part often has to change when a drum part gets introduced to compliment each other – music isn’t played then made in a vacuum.
The other consideration is I don’t really consider myself a singer so finding the right key and tempo for my song to suit my voice can take a while, sometimes I realise the key or tempo isn’t quite working for my voice so I have to re-record whole instrumentations.
But now I recently found amazing musicians to play live with so I’m hoping the arrangement and recording process will become a lot quicker in the future!
CM: What is your favourite track of yours?
AD: Whichever the new song is I’m about to record – at the moment the next song I’m recording is called “I’m worth nothing” – it’s not a happy song.
CM: Any other artists/bands from your local scene we really should know about?
AD: Artists named Leeli and Darby are some awesome Sydney musicians I’ve known for ages and I produced and played in some of their very early stuff – they have amazing voices and they help me out with backing vocals on some of my songs. Another artist who I’ve shared good company on some playlists is a lovely Swedish fella named Arvid Lizell I really love his voice and the arrangements of his songs.
CM: What is the most flattering thing you’ve read about yourself?
AD: I think when people put me on similar playlists as great artists
CM: What was the first record/tape/cd you ever bought?
AD: Embarrassingly it was an N’SYNC cassette tape from a 2 dollar store with my sister when I was like 10 or something. I remember putting it on the car and it really pissed off my brother and father. But shortly after my music taste quickly changed when I started playing the guitar and my good friend Brandon made me a mix tape with classic artists like Led Zeppelin and Guns n Roses which really influenced my early playing.
CM: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
AD: Now I have “Bye Bye Bye” from N’SYNC stuck in my head…
CM: What was the last show you paid and queued up for?
AD: Tallest Man on Earth in Berlin, It was at the Funk Haus which is an old east german broadcasting station, the sound there and vibe are incredible. We all sat in a big circle around him while he serenaded us.
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