Today you’ll be getting to learn more about knyvez, an electronic music producer who’s style changes on a weekly basis. His sound is distinct and his energy transparent. He is the co-founder of ILIUM , which we recommend you also scope out, after you get done with this interview :).
Our interview with knyvez was curated by Soba of the phuture collective team.
Interview with knyvez:
phuture: Hey knyvez! Glad to have you with us on our LEMONGRASS issue. Do you mind introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about you?
knyvez: Hello! Glad to be included! I’m Andrew, AKA knyvez. I like to sleep during the day and make music at night. I make music to express emotion which I’ve never been good at doing verbally. Music is the most important thing in my life.
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phuture: Your track on the issue, Granola, is gorgeous! Could you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind that track? What made you want to release this track with us?
knyvez: As the name suggests, lots of granola bars and coffee went into the making of the track. The times when I worked on the track were the only ones when I got to get away from the craziness of my life during that time. Lots of phone calls and emails. My life was just fuzzy and distorted.
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phuture: I, personally, am partial to your track 3 AM. It’s got a great spaciousness to it, and the tempo changes are a nice touch. What kind of vibe were you aiming toward with that one?
knyvez: Thank you! Well, the sort of theme/story behind the track is that I had been working on it almost exclusively in the early morning hours for quite a while. It’s somewhat meant to reflect my creative process late at night and in the very early morning; lots of ups and downs, changes in pace, and abrupt moments of inspiration.
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phuture: What is your favorite part of creating original compositions?
knyvez: I like to think of my tracks as little time capsules containing my emotions and little still images of life from the when the track was made. The best part of making music to me isn’t the time right after you finish it, it’s the months later when you listen to your past emotions and you gain new perspectives on your life as it is and was.
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phuture: Music is so diverse; you can come up with anything you’d like. We can all agree on that! On that note, what are a couple of your inspirations for creating such unique works of art?
knyvez: I’ve found that where I physically am really impacts my music. I’ve made some of my favorite tracks up in the mountains and out in nature.
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phuture: I have noticed that throughout a lot of your music, you have really spacious and wide basses. They almost feel like a pad when listening to them. I know that a musician named Mathbonus is keen on making subs like that as well. Are there any artists that you were trying to embody with those sounds?
knyvez: j.robb is definitely one of my big musical influences so I guess I’d attribute a lot how I’ve developed my sound to him.
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phuture: Another technique that I notice you utilize successfully is where certain sounds lie in the mix. Your song, working on it, is a perfect example of this technique. What tools/plugins do you use to make this work? And how do you go about which instruments stand out a certain way?
knyvez: One of my favorite plugins to use is Valhalla Ubermod. You can do some really interesting things to the positioning of sounds in a mix and to the stereo of a sound.
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phuture: I really like the organic drums and bass guitars you use frequently! Do you listen to any live/non-electronically produced music? If so, what genres outside of the electronic category do you enjoy the most?
knyvez: Metal, some old R&B, jazz, really anything I can get my hands on
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phuture: Who are some of your favorite musicians? Why? Do you ever try to create sounds similar to the ones that they use?
knyvez: I definitely try and adopt and morph the styles of my favorite musicians. Some include Getter, j.robb, choys, Eli Way, Verzache, and a ton more.
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phuture: Is there a point in which you became more serious about making music? Why did you decide to keep perfecting your art?
knyvez: Around the age of 8 I really became involved with music and was starting to really grasp the concept that musical expression is really a powerful thing. I wanted to be able to know how to express my range of thought to the best of my ability so I really started to sit down and learn.
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Thank you & stay tuned for the rest of LEMONGRASS, dropping in full on 08.05.16
phuture collective
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