[PREMIERE & INTERVIEW]: edapollo – ‘Aurora’

Melbourne-based UK native edapollo is electronic producer, instrumentalist and visual artist Ed Bidgood

Following on from last years Daylight EP release and his recent HypeMachine no. 1 remix for Koresma, Ed is back with the new material in the form of double A-side single ‘Aurora’ and ‘Silk Spirals’ which show the more house-leaning side of Ed’s sound. Both tracks blur the lines between the dance floor and chill out, weaving, spiralling and taking the listener on a unique journey through his world.

The Playground is pleased to have premiered ‘Aurora’, the debut track from his upcoming debut full-length album Endless Cascades due out this August:

Tell us about your journey in music, how long have you been producing? What inspired you to start?

I’ve been making music since I was about 13, I started off playing guitar and spent my teens playing in a band, touring and writing etc. Throughout that time I always had a real interest

in recording / production side too but only started taking production more seriously about 5 or 6 years ago.

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies you.

Well… my current collection of gear is very modest compared to what I had this time last year. As of late last year, I decided to sell most of my possessions and move from the UK to Australia. That meant sadly selling my Moog Slim Phatty and Prophet 08 Synth, which were my main two studio favourites for the last few years. My setup now is quite simple, I use Ableton on my MacBook, I then have a variety of synth plugins and effects, a MIDI keyboard, an electric guitar, a field recorder for ambiences/textures/ beats etc, a pocket piano synth (because it’s tiny I’m able to travel with it!) and an MPD for sampling etc. It was actually quite liberating downsizing my set up and it made me realise how the quality of the music you produce is not relative to the amount of gear you have at your disposal, obviously it’s great having gear but it’s also sometimes easier having limitations with gear, as it can allow to not overthink everything as much and forces you to be creative with what you have.

Your artistic expression is not limited to the sonic, you are also involved in the visual arts. How do these two worlds overlap?

They overlap in many ways, I think visual arts and music use a similar part of the brain. I sometimes find that I will be visually seeing a track as I’m working on it and vice versa, sometimes when I’m designing something, I start hearing ideas for music to go alongside it. Both processes inform each other for me and I love the way they overlap with each other.

Do you experience creative block? If so, how do you approach it?

Yes, I have experienced periods of this, I’ve learnt to never try too much to force

something to happen, if somethings not working or you’re not feeling right when trying to create, then it’s usually best to leave that environment, take a break for a day or two, or even a week or two. I usually find going out in to nature helps me reconnect creatively, usually when I return I have a bit more of a creative spark and a more relaxed mindset which can help get the inspiration flowing…

Give us an idea of the culture around electronic music in Australia.

I’m still relatively new to Australia but the music scene here in Melbourne is insane. That’s a big part of why I moved here. There’s so much diversity and talent here it’s unreal, it’s an inspiring place to be a creative and this city has definitely given me a new lease of life.

Who are the emerging artists on your radar?

There are so many to choose from but recently I’ve also been listening to a lot of Koresma, Marley Carroll and Feverkin.

Who would be your dream collaborator?

Tough one…. probably Bjork!

What gets your creative juices flowing?

A walk through nature, somewhere without too many people or Kangaroos around ideally…

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

I’m releasing my first full-length album as edapollo which I’m really excited about sharing, the album is called Endless Cascades. I’m also working on a lot of exciting visual projects for some of my favourite artists which I can’t wait to share too…

Famous last words?

Do what feels natural, trust your instincts, don’t take things too seriously and enjoy yourself!

Follow edapollo:

Facebook – Twitter – Spotify – Instagram – Bandcamp – Apple Music – Soundcloud