Interview Series: Lotus.
Stream Lotus’ guest mix below, and grab a free DL if you’d like <3
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We first caught wind of Lotus when in June of last year he’d just dropped his first ever single, “Waves.” What we wrote then continues to hold true, perhaps now more than ever:
In the wake of the “future bass” movement, a prototypical equation for success has emerged: lush saw-wave synths + crisp percs + driving 808s + interspersed foleys + intro/break/outro melodies = the adulation of future fans the world over. The inevitable result is a whole lot of songs which sound more or less the same. However – and although the aforementioned elements of the patented future sound are contained therein – [Lotus’ now multiple tracks] manage to stand out from the crowd on the basis of [their] production quality, sound design, and structure.
Combining nuanced synthwork, live elements, beautiful chord progressions, and those famously intricate Lotus percs, this guy is one to watch, having garnered the support of some of the industry’s biggest players only a year into this project.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Lotus about his background, inspirations, future ambitions and more, and we’re so glad to announce that he’s also kicking off Secret Shores’ new mix series with his first ever mix!
How long has Lotus been around for?
This project has been around for almost a year, but the idea of starting to work on it started in late 2015. Before Lotus I never uploaded anything, I was just making music and improving by myself while barely sharing what I made with anyone. I’ve been making music for the last 3, almost 4 years now.
What has been your background in music?
I took piano lessons for at least 7 years. I’m glad I did because it gave me a good sense of writing chords and overall it trained my ear and musical taste. I wouldn’t say [a musical background is] strictly necessary for making music but it definitely helps to differentiate what’s good and what’s not when doing so.
What was the inspiration behind the name Lotus?
There is not a deep or significant meaning behind “Lotus.” The idea just came together because I was looking for a catchy name that could somehow represent the music I made. I think I was aiming for a name that would represent the kind of music I enjoy.
Your first official release, “Indigo” w/KRNE, is quite a cool, aggressive departure from the rest of your existing body of work – have you got any idea what kind of music you hope to release moving forward, or will you just take things as they go?
Indigo was made in a phase where I still was looking for my own sound. I remember sending a lot of WIPs to KRANE including “Waves” and he picked what was, back then, an early version of Indigo. Honestly the track wouldn’t have sounded anywhere close to the final product without KRNE’s work on it, he is a magician and my trap game was (and still is) weak.
The kind of music to be released is a blend of electronic elements with organic sounds. I love electronic music but what really intrigues me is the mix between that genre and other types of music. Being able to create not only sounds from scratch but also from whole instruments gives you a certain freedom and creativity that basically no other genre is able to deliver.
I barely take things as they go, I like to plan everything in order to deliver the best music I can and that I’m proud of.
The Internet is unprecedented as a tool in the sense of its interconnectedness – in what sense do you feel that stuff has impacted you, having collaborated with people from around the world, as an example?
Internet is the reason Lotus exists. It is the single best tool for a musician in the 21st century, hands down, whether you are in the process of learning music production or you are an established artist. The ability to connect with people that have the same musical tastes while being on the other side of the globe is fantastic. I’ve built amazing friendships that I think will last forever.
Have you had any experience performing live? If you could play any show, which would it be?
I’ve never ever played any show (if being a dj for a birthday part when I was 12 doesn’t count). I have 0 knowledge in DJing whatsoever which is kinda funny because all the people I tell I make music automatically assume I’m a DJ. Hopefully soon I’ll get to play shows. Red rocks, Coachella, Madison Square Garden (let me dream ok).
Who would you say has influenced your sound and/or musical tastes?
I think that most of the producers of my generation including me have been inspired by Skrillex. I know my music doesn’t sound anything like him but I remember the day I heard his music for the first time – made me install a DAW [software program] on my computer and sit down for hours.
I think that my sound has been influenced by a lot of artists like Tennyson, Ryo Fukui, Jai Paul, Flume and Lido. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of r&b, hip hop and jazz, which are definitely shaping my musical influence and taste (Noname, Chance, Paak, Saba, ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick…).
What’s in the works? What do you think/hope the rest of 2017 will have in store for Lotus?
A lot in the works – an official remix, a couple singles, a couple collabs…
I think this year so far has been used in order to look back at my music. I don’t want to push too fast and release anything so I’m taking my time in order to find myself musically as well as release stuff I’m really proud of.
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