the village elephant
Genre:
Electronic
Region:
Brisbane, QLD
Sounds Like:
Lemon Jelly, chemical brothers, mint royale
The Village Elephant uses synthesised sounds and melodies with unusual samples to create a great groove with a warm vibe.
Interview: 30 October 2006
Describe your music
Solid beats, trip hop rhythms, folk guitars and flute loops, twisted sounds and quirky samples…maybe: ‘anything-goes-electronica’.
Who’s been a big musical influence for you?
Definitely the chemical brothers, but then who haven’t they influenced? They’ve always been an inspirational act because of their creativity and willingness to try something new (and still sound great!). I’ll say Lemon Jelly too.
Tell us about the local electronic music community in Queensland.
They’ll always be great Qld artists floating around, and there’s plenty happening in Brissy.
There’s even an electronic artists society where I study, which has been great for young electronic musos. That’s how I got my confidence up. As for the rest of Qld, well it’s a big place, and I live under a rock called Brisbane.
You’ve got some unusual samples in your music. What’s your favourite and why?
Yes, some are quite strange, that’s because there really is no end to what one can do with/to them. The best ones always come from old records – country and western classics, honky tonky party hits etc. Once anything is sampled, anything goes. I’m pretty happy with one of me on the Irish flute though, so I’ll go with that one.
Right now what are the biggest challenges facing you when it comes to making music?
Challenges?? There are no real challenges with electronic music. Making electronic music is a very free and creative process, which is why it’s so enjoyable. Sometimes I can try too hard, until I’m listening to the same part of a track over and over from different spots in my room, which usually means I need a break. Having said all that if you’re into knobs and flashing buttons it can kill your savings in a flash.
What have you got planned for the future?
I exhausted myself a few months ago finishing a couple of tracks and was hoping just to let people hear it if they chose to listen and maybe get some feedback, which is why I turned to triple J unearthed. Otherwise, more music.
Australian music is…
good for your bones.