Monday 25 January 2016

Celadon City: Q & A


I sat down with Celadon City the other day to discuss his newest project, the final release of an album after a few years worth of work. He's been kind enough to show of a couple of tracks from it, and the latest is a solid example of that quirky, playful electronic sound that I've come to know over the past year or so. Stay tuned for the Q&A after the tune itself!



Claude Van Foxbat: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, I've been a big supporter of your tunes over on the blog for a long time now, why don't you give us a bit of background for those that might not know who you are?
Celadon City: Hi! I’m Ethan and I create music under the moniker Celadon City. I’ve been writing for more than 3 years and I am on a mission to experience as much as I can on this Earth. I work at a coffee shop and go to college to study Biology.

CVF: You've been working on this LP a long time, now it's close to release do you have any reflections on your process from start to finish?
CC: This LP has been choatic, magical, and important to me. Its a journey for sure when you have to really collect what you have in your arsenal and write about it. I think this is the first professional step in my music writing career, and it solidifies my choice of becoming an artist. Right now I’ve been getting everything ready for the release and also preparing some personal stuff.

CVF: It's clear to see that Pokémon has had an influence on you, are there any other games or franchises which have made an impact on your work?
CC: I really started getting into indie games when I was 19. I didn’t grow up with a wide selection of games, except the Halo series. I’ve played alot of Half-life and have been addicted to this game called Flower, which you are guiding a petal through a low-key storyline and meditating in the process. Its very spiritual and soothing. Games with a beautiful soundtrack are my weakness ❤️.

CVF: Something I always like to ask is what was your introduction to electronic music?
CC: My dad raised me with constant playing of Radiohead, especially Kid A. I really found my roots to electronic music when I was listening to Tycho and post-rock groups like Explosions in the Sky and M83. What made me want to be an artist was the indie, DIY scene that had been emerging very heavily in 2013-2014, where Giraffage, Teen Daze, and Slow Magic found their way onto my iPod. It was magical seeing artistry in music and a beautiful culture associated with the scene.

CVF: Slightly related, how did you get involved with your current scene?
CC: Hmm, I hang out with a lot of different places. I have a lot of friends who are locals in my home town. OKC is not very internet based and it has a really cool organic community that has helped me expand from net music. I'm very fluid with who I’m with or who I am listening too. Its fun seeing multiple realms of the music industry and they all have their own unique qualities and stories.

CVF: Do you remember what your first ever produced track was?
CC: OMG, so before I had even had a DAW or Garageband, there was this website sponsored by Adidas I think, and they had a “Beatlab” where you could just play loops and drag given sample to make hella basic beats. I thought it was the coolest shit and so I ended up making a three track EP that I never released.

CVF: You've got 4 words to sum up your sound, go!
CC: Ambient Electronic For Expeditions

CVF: What's your equipment setup look like?
CC: So right now I am practicing my drum pad skills and working on doing more in my live sets. Also I am having a friend of mine doing some ableton stuff and some guitar just so we can jam and have fun.

CVF: And finally, what's in store for the future of Celadon City?
CC: I honestly don’t know but I'm excited. There are some wonderful things out in the world. And I for sure will go and see it all.

CVF: Alright that about wraps it up, thank you! (Now I have to try and find the old code we had to make it formatted like an actual article...)
CC: Wonderful ❤️ let me know if you need anything else! thank you for interviewing me.


And there we have it. Nice bloke he is. Oh and before I go I should mention that Celadon City's debut album Earth: OST will be available on Hush Hush Records' bandcamp, you can pre-order it if you'd like, but the full thing drops on the 12th of February!

You can find more Celadon City on:
Twitter
Soundcloud
Facebook
Bandcamp

- Claude Van Foxbat

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