Pink Floyd, 80s electronica and lockdown - we chat with The Ocean Beneath
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
I'm Matt Burnside of The Ocean Beneath and I suppose you would say I'm the producer and a bit of everything else really. Rich Blacker started the project with me but has less time to dedicate to it now but still helps out when he can. We make 80’s inspired electronic music with big grooves and loads of analogue synthesizers.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peek of? So our new single Skin ft Fran Minney just came out! We worked on this with Fran through the whole lockdown and whilst it may have slowed the process down never actually being in the same room we're super proud of it. There's a video on YouTube or you can get it here.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
Lyrically this song is definitely influenced by what's happening. Fran said, "It encapsulates the almost drunken touch-starved feeling a lot of us have experienced during lockdown these past few months with a beat to help you dance out that desperation." I think that just about sums it up.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE SINGLE IN A FEW WORDS?
I’d say it’s a dark, desperate, beautiful banger!
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
I would probably say Shine On You Crazy Diamonds by Pink Floyd. That song literally got me into playing the guitar and started my whole love of creating sound. I think I just heard it and something woke up inside me almost
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER ARTIST?
Favourite video of ours would have to be the video for Skin ft. Fran Minney. Fran filmed all this video herself during lockdown and edited it all. It really is a great video and tells the story brilliantly. You can watch it here. https://youtu.be/SSCJiF-qtmM
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
Cooking, Skateboarding in summer and watching endless amounts of Taskmaster.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
It’s been some time since I played live now but it’s really one of those things, do it one night here and there and you’ll feel the nerves but do it 3 nights a week every week and you’ll just get better at that side of things. It takes practice just like the music itself.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
The Ocean Beneath started life as a shared ideal between Rich and myself. We both wanted to create new music moving away from our previous ventures with an 80’s influence and a modern push on the production. We also wanted to bring in as many other people as possible along the way for collaborations so we did just that. We released our debut EP in 2019 and have worked with loads of great artists including Nath Jackson, Fran Minney, Mik Crone and more. In Feb of 2020 Rich wanted to take some time away from the project so now I’m just pushing things forward and doubling down on the collaborations.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER?
Usually, tracks start as little pallets of information, a sound from one of the analogue synths or a rhythmical idea jotted down in midi. Must have 1000 of these on my hard drive, the ones that stand out get turned in to full tracks. Most of them have a feeling attached for me, something I just have to get out in music form. I’ll usually go through this process then pass all the ideas through Rich who will develop them more into songs than from there we will pass them to any potential collaborations we have in mind and work together to bring the best out of the tracks.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I’d say the norm and everyday life inspires me the most, I think our surroundings and experiences shape who we are as people so much. That definitely leaks into the music we make.
WHAT IS NEXT?
We’re working on a full-length album at the moment, a collaboration EP and hopefully a lot more into next year.
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