Interview: Get in the mind of ELWD

Bad Taste Records has been releasing some particularly strong releases lately, and ELWD’s name has been coming up a lot. With his newest release, There’s Light Somewhere, recently out to the public, we chatted with the master beatmaker to see what he’s been up to, what he’s been influenced by, and what goes on in his brilliant mind.

THE PLAYGROUND: Hi ELWD, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. You’re one of the most consistent artist’s we’ve ever heard from, in that you’re consistently releasing tracks and full length releases that are strange, experimental and utterly perfect. How do you keep yourself motivated creatively?

ELWD:Thank you, I try to keep my mind open, challenge myself, stay away from the fake. Sometimes that can be difficult, but I try to create at least 5-10+ mins of music a day. I always aim for that, it’s important to set goals, iv’e learnt. Stay disciplined.

TP: Dreamwaves, Tropic, and now There’s Light Somewhere… your past three titles seem to highlight a place that sits between physical reality and something a little bit more fantastical. What does the title for your upcoming album (the aforementioned There’s Light Somewhere mean to you? If there was a message you wanted to relay to your listeners, what would they like you to know?

ELWD:I like to think of titles for my projects way before I actually finish them, artwork also helps, when we shot the photos for this project, this one photo stuck out to me (the one on the front cover) – the title itself came from Bukowski’s – the laughing heart poem. I made this album in what where some of the coldest months of my life, I’m glad for my own sanity that I could turn it into a form of self expression instead of something else.

TP: I actually interviewed you a while back over at Earmilk as well, and you mentioned that you were interested in the beat scene in LA. It’s gotten really big since the last time we’ve interviewed, with Thundercat officially winning a Grammy recently, is this scene still of interest? Who were you listening to in the making of this album?

ELWD:Yeah, I see them on the internets, living the dream out there, making music in the sunshine. There isn’t much of a beat scene in the UK like that, which is a shame, good music is good music though, it doesn’t really matter where you’re from, but I’d def like to migrate to the West Coast one day.

TP: We’d love to know about some of the sampling that went in to this record? Do you have any favorite records you always find yourself going to for this?

ELWD: I was listening to all sorts, I really got into ambient music, which was kinda new to me, check out William Basinski’s “disintegration loops”

ELWD: I got a lot of samples from my local record store, I always try to sample off vinyl, just to keep it legit; some of my favourite samples from this record where, Masterpiece’s “love is what you make it” and John Martyn’s “Please Fall In Love With Me” (the cover is also ill). i cant really remember half of the stuff I sample, I just destroy it and move on, but those 2 stood out and stay[ed] on rotation.

TP: What else can we expect from you in 2016 (that you can reveal)?

ELWD: I’ve got some visuals dropping soon hopefully, I’ve got something in the pipeline with Mishka Records, and then I’m working on an album of edits, and also a project for the summer, staying busy.

Purchase There’s Light Somewhere via Bandcamp.