Grammy-Nominated Electronic Music Prodigy “Ford.” Shares “In My Eyes”

Grammy-nominated electronic music prodigy ford. today shares “In My Eyes”, the fourth and final single from his highly anticipated sophomore album The Color of Nothing — out October 16, via ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective.

“In My Eyes” is another sonically expansive track from the hotly tipped artist, blending minimal synth waves with a midtempo beat and acoustic-electronic sounds. The track features vocals from Canadian streaming sensation and close friend VERZACHE, who is one of the hottest rising names and was due to go on tour with mxmtoon this year before COVID-19 hit. 

Speaking on the track, ford. shared “I began writing this track back in February of 2019. A year later, I finally had a flushed-out demo. Quarantine had gone into full effect and one of the things keeping me grounded was Facetiming my friends. I would check in with Zach (Verzache) and we would have these long conversations about mental health, missing touring, and how quarantine was affecting our writing processes, etc. I remember sending him this demo on one of our calls and he sent back a full finished verse the next day. The lyrics and melodies channelled a lot of the themes we had been talking about and it immediately resonated with me. Immensely grateful for dudes like Zach and every opportunity I get to make music with close friends; nothing quite like it.”

Check out the music video for the ‘In My Eyes’ below, and let us know what you think:

In Conversation With… Charlie Tappin

Where did you grow up? Has music always been a big part of your life

I got into playing the piano through my sister from quite a young age. My mum plays, my nan would play, my auntie sings in choirs, so a lot of my family are musical but quite traditional. So classical and choir stuff. Got into playing the piano through my sister, and started more down the classical route, by early secondary, late primary. But I lost touch with it by the end of secondary school.

What was your mindset going into your debut EP – Ashes to Ashes, and the ideas around the artwork?

I hadn’t made these four tunes to be part of a release, I was in Bristol at the time, and it came out of jam sessions. I had a whole load of music and then my hard drive corrupted and, I thought I had lost everything but managed to find a secret folder with some files in them.

So I used those files to make the tracks for the EP, I had good feedback from it, and so, fancied doing something with them. So, they came out of little jams and, I managed to salvage them from a corrupt hard drive, but it’s been 3-4 years since I started making them, so it has been quite a long process.

When we started talking about the release, Melting Pot asked whether I had ideas and people in mind for the artwork, and in the lead up to it I had a strong idea to have pictures of my time in Tanzania on the artwork for it.

How did your trip to Tanzania influence the project?

We went initially in 2015 and climbed Kilimanjaro, I stayed on afterwards to volunteer at a school for two months. I’ve been back to the school 2 or 3 times, so I took samples of loads of performances at the mountains, as well as, the children singing. Music is such an integral part of African life and I wanted to bring a sense of that into the release.

I had a vivid idea of what I wanted the artwork to look like and had taken a few pictures while I was out there. Then, I was drawn to the artist – Tilly through the Yazmin Lacey release and messaged her on a whim, sent her a few pictures, and I was just blown away by the first draft. It was completely how I wanted it! She incorporated all the little things of the pictures I took and made it look amazing.

What’s your relationship like with Summers Sons, were the two involved much in the process of making it?

I’ve known them my whole life. I live with Turt now, and we lived together in Bristol for three years. We grew up together, went to same schools, we work well together, and its easy to bounce ideas off each other.

Turt was on the last tune, which was a different vibe to what he does with Slim, so it was a lot more fun to do. Like, we played around with vocals a lot more and experimented a lot more than we’re used to. I always wanted to try get them involved in the project some way, so it was nice to have Slim do a remix and have Turt involved in the last track. Obviously, I was living with Turt at the time, so in a roundabout way had an influence on the music.

How had living in London affected your music, in comparisons to when you were living in Bristol

I guess in Bristol everything is so chilled and I think my creative flow is reflected in this EP, which was made when I was living in Bristol. I started a lot of these jams in the summer, so that influenced the release a lot. Now I’m in London, I haven’t been making as much music since I’ve been in London, I’ve been focusing on a lot of half projects which need to finish, as well as other things on the go with Summers Sons.

I suppose living in London you can get caught up in hectic pace of it but I have been seeing a lot more live music, which is why I wanted to move here.

What’s your relationship like with Melting Pot, how did you get in touch with them

Well, it’s quite relaxed, it’s not an official contract or anything. We just got a great relationship with Olski, the manager. We were always massive fans of the label, and it was really a defining label for us in Hip Hop, and it was sort of at the forefront in Germany with some huge records, so we were big fans of them. From that, we managed to make some sort of contact with Twit One, when he was playing in England. Turt went down, met him and struck a relationship with him. Then we started making some beats and sent him some stuff.

We recorded it, and he eventually just flew us out to Cologne to do a boat party. So, he introduced us to Olski, and we said we got the album Uhuru ready to go if you fancy listening to it.. he really liked it, and so the relationship built from there.

Your relationship with Melting Pot has grown your following in Germany, in particular Cologne, how does the scene compare to London’s music scene?

I really enjoy it, there’s a big scene there. It was really popping off maybe eight years ago with Hulk Hodn, Suff Daddy, Twit One, and Max Graef. It is quite similar to Bristol in a lot of ways, it’s quite small, everyone knows everyone. So, if you’re really into what’s going on in the scene already, then it’s amazing to be there.

Have you performed there?

Yeah, we’ve performed there a few times now, probably more times there than anywhere else! Because of the way that the records have been promoted, it’s mainly done in Germany, So, we’ve almost have a stronger following with Summers Sons in Germany because of our relationship with Melting Pot.

Have you played in any other cities outside Cologne and London so far?

Yeah, we joined the Children of Zeus for three days in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Berlin. We had a really good laugh, all in the van together having a good time having some jokes they are really nice guys. It was amazing.

“They are incredible to see live; they’ve had a massive influence on us now. Watching them play live, performing three – four nights in a row definitely come out of free four nights in a row, was an amazing experience for us.”

I know you said the relationship with Melting Pot is all kind of casual but do you feel like in future, it’ll be important to release music independently?

Yeah absolutely, I think every artist really would love to do that. Part of it is about how much time and effort you want to put into that because it’s going to probably detract from the amount of time you can put into making music. So, you’ve got to have the right team around you with a similar vision.

“We’ve got our thing going with Lightworks, with me, Summers Sons, Yanis, my cousin; Ted who does Latent Clothing, and Lucienne who does graphic animation. That’s the core group of us, It’s just about the right timing. So, when everyone’s sort of ready, and that’s what’s been good about moving back to London is we’re all together now.”

I know you’re very much into your jazz at the moment, but is there anyone who you are listening to outside of that scene?

“Yeah, I’ve been listening to music from Mali in west Africa but a lot jazz at the moment to be honest. This week’s been a good week for jazz with the new Alfa Mist album, and Ezra Collective, I think those guys are incredible. It’s a live album, so you know if you go to see that live it’s going to be kicking off!”

Been listening to Yasmin Lacey a lot, she released through First Word Records as well, and then Makaya McCraven, the Universal Beings album is sick.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Hiatus Kayote as well recently, I just think the way she sings is unbelievable, and way she uses her vocals, along with the song structure is amazing. She’s also got her solo project, which is mainly her on the guitar, and its proper raw, the way she uses her vocals is insane.

So, in a more realistic sense who would like to collaborate most with? If you were going to be on the piano and you wanted have someone sing, or rap, and play any other instruments in your track.

For drums, I’d love to get Moses Boyd involved in something, in terms vocals I’d love to get the lead singer from Hiatus Kayote because she would do something mad! In terms of UK I would love to collaborate with Nubya Garcia on the saxophone as well.

Do you follow the Grime scene or drill scene at all, any artists from their or even hip hop you would love to collaborate with to rap over a production?

Not much now, but when I was in school, I followed Kano and Dizzy but haven’t really kept up to date with it in the last few years…

Any hip hop artists..?

Well, I’ve got the Summers Sons!

I’m a bit out touch with the UK hip-hop scene, I’ve been a lot more focused on the jazz scene but from America I listen to J Cole, Kendrick but that’s about it. Anderson Paak, Mac Miller but all the sort of hip hop I listen to is the old stuff like, Black Star and Mos Def for me is one of the best, someone who can do it all… All of the Soulquarians, like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, but that’s all the US stuff I listen to I’m not really up to date with that.

Finally, what have you got planned for the rest of the year music wise?

All stuff with summers sons at the moment but trying to get something of my own going, it’s just about finding the time. We’ll be supporting Melodiesinfonie in a couple weeks, going to Meadows in the Mountain. Couple shows in June, and then we got a friend of ours doing a festival in his garden at the end of the year, and his got Mouse Outfit performing!

Check out album below:

In Conversation With.. Handles

There aren’t many other ways to describe Myron Taylor aka Handles, other than a natural born hustler. Music has always been within his sights from an early age, taking note from 90s hip hop artists such Nate Dog, Snoop Dogg, MF Doom, D Blocc, as well as, the NWA group to name a few. In spite making music for nearly 10 years now, it has only been in the last year which he decided to release his debut EP titled Sui Generis to the world on all streaming platform. How was it received? Well, it impressively debut charted at #7 on the ITunes’ UK Hip Hop charts upon release, ahead of some UK’s most popular artist. An admirable feat for a debut EP, but how? You’re probably thinking he’s been able to attract million followers on social media but you’d be wrong. Handles has read the blueprint of some Hip Hop most popular figures and realised early, how important it is to not only build your brand from your phone, but also on the selling yourself on the streets.

Have a listen below:

Check the visuals for his single Surreal:

In Conversation With… Louis VI

 

London based rapper/producer; Louis VI released an impressive second project titled; Sugar Like Salt. The album cohesively brings together American influenced hip hop beats and artists with features from Mick Jenkins and Ashia Karana, with some of London’s most talented jazz musicians in Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd.

We accidentally picked the best day on the weekend, as it had been pouring down with rain the original day we’d planned, but luckily, the sun was beating down on us, at a slightly hidden rooftop bar by the Southbank centre. Following on from our chat during the walk to the bar, the topic nicely swayed into one my first questions I was keen to ask…

What other creative outputs have you branched off into?

Louis: I directed all my music videos and I’ve got a huge portfolio now, and I’ve sent it to a friend who works for a company who look after directors and has them on their roster. So, I’m planning to send a portfolio of my work to her and see what happens… but I’ve been in that world through composing

Recalling back to the time when we met at Reprezent radio…

I remember you mentioning you were a producer before you started rapping?

Louis: Yeah, I faked an ID to get on a production course when I was 14 and it was for 18-year olds. That’s when I officially learnt how to produce, but I was rapping before then and before then poetry

Did you go in to spoken word at all?

I did spoken word before I did rap, and I didn’t think my rap was as good as my spoken word. So, I took a look at putting that lyricism back in to my music, but this was when I was 13, 14 years old, but I have only been doing music professionally for around 5 years now. The thing is, you end up doing these things for ages before people start to recognise you

Kofi: Yeah, I agree, its similar to one of my friends from school, who had been producing for around same time as you, and he’s never fussed about putting out and it’s not only till he’s got older that he wanted put music out there

Louis: Yeah, it’s so nice putting music out there, but you realise no one has a clue what you’ve done before. So, it’s not until you bring out a project or a piece of music for people to listen to, that from there they can see the progression and snapshot of your feelings at the time.

After noticing my camera, Louis went on to show me some of the shots he took on 35mm film at LA at Seqouia National Park. He went on to talk about his time there, how it compares to London, the people and his experiences

Louis: I feel like I have a love – hate relationship with it. it’s very difficult to go there as visitor, and not know anyone there because everyone’s driving. So, it’s really hard to meet people. But if you do know people its sick and you could have good quality of life, mainly because of the sun & the level of musicianship out there, but that’s why I prefer New York. You bump into people…

Kofi: Ahh, what’s New York like to London?

Louis: Its similar to London. It’s like London on crack! Bars don’t shut. Ok, you can come out the studio at like 1am and you fancy going out, in London most places will be shut at that time but in New York it’s always going. It’s very multicultural, generally people are friendlier in New York, and people are always looking to chat to you.

Kofi: I wouldn’t have thought people were friendlier in New York, than London…

Louis: Yeah, but people in America are loud as fuck, people talk at the top of their voices. Like on the Subway, people are speaking so loud in New York, even shouting sometimes, whereas in London everyone’s quiet. I think that’s one of more noticeable differences, but people are probably a bit more genuine in London.

Kofi: How has your experiences in LA and New York influenced your music and how you write and person?

Louis: Half the people which featured on it are from LA, Atlanta and New York

Kofi: I noticed the beat on ‘Thurgood’ sounded one of the more American influenced hip hop tracks on the album, which I really liked.

Louis: Thanks, the female rapper; Ashia Karana at beginning is from Atlanta. I wanted this album to be my production and as me as possible

Kofi: Did you make all the beats?

Louis: I made all of them apart from three. I think it really influenced me to go to the birth place of Hip Hop as an artist, and work with people I respect and look up to. I was out there being me and getting praise from people who I consider greats. The universe was doing crazy things all the time while I was out there.

Kofi: Yeah, I can only imagine! What was the concept behind Sugar like Salt

Louis: Sugar and salt are metaphors for the good and bad experiences in your life and it’s not until you get close enough to see or ‘taste’ those experiences, is where you can tell whether it’s good or bad. But then you see these good things don’t give you that drive to push yourself, they can make you sluggish & complacent but the bad things, even though they’re painful as fuck sometimes, you get through it and get stronger by getting through it, and, that gives you energy and drive to grow.

This phrase is a recurring thing for me because there are always good things happening and there’s always bad things happening so it’s about maintaining that balance and growing from them both. It’s a mantra when good or bad happen, nothing is forever, remain calm because it’s all Sugar Like Salt.

Kofi: I feel like you’re in a better space, from making this album (Sugar Like Salt) than your last album (Lonely Road of a Dreamer)?

Louis: Yeah, much better space. psychologically better. I think there were three main points in lonely road of dreamer and much of it was about being in a dark depressed state and that lent itself to the music and was introspective. This album feels more outward and elevating out of that dark time but it’s self-aware, and there’s always that shadow.

Kofi: Yeah, it’s interesting you say that, because I think people use music or any other creative output like art and design as a sort of expression of that, or self-therapy. I think it’s something which needs to be discussed more often, and artists are. Kojey came out at beginning of the year talking about his depression, James Blake as well discussed the stigma surrounding his ‘sad boy’ image (click here to read full article). So, I think it’s important to discuss, so thank you for sharing that.

Louis: No of course, I feel that you never come out of it, but that isolationism is the worse part of it and its why it continues. Even talking about it is such an antidote!

Kofi: So, who are the top three artists you’d like to work with in the UK you haven’t worked with before?

Louis: I would love to do something with Kojey one day, we’ve known each other for a minute so would be good to do something. I would love to do something with Mahalia, on a soulful level…

Kofi: I could see that you, you sing a bit in the album?

Louis: Yeah, but I would never describe myself as a singer, but I would love to do a soul/funk album one day. Do a Childish Gambino. I would also love to work with James Blake, I think we’d do something crazy

Kofi: Nice, which artists do you look up most, who have influenced your music as well as yourself personally?

Louis: If we are scaling it back a while but someone who’ll always be present; Outkast and Andre 3000. His approach to music, he’s such a perfectionist and so diligent with how he comes on a track, for me, he’s the best. He’s smart, he’s never been a featured artist on the track and not killed it. In a similar way, Erykah Badu, for the way she holds herself and interprets the world, but also gives herself a really open attitude and isn’t afraid to be herself and be crazy. Seeing her live, is like a healing experience
Nas, Kanye west influenced me massively. College dropout was a big one for me, as there wasn’t another producer/rapper who was killing it, and I was an aspiring one so looked up to him. Kendrick too. On a UK level, Roots Manuva, Klashnekoff, Dizzie, Nao, all the new jazz heads & all the old. Gil Scott-Heron most majorly.

Kofi: Yeah for sure, away from music Kanye has been… interesting. What are thoughts on his outbursts a few months ago?

Louis: When you’re that powerful and the whole thing with his family I imagine it’s hard to not fine yourself in difficult situations. He’s involved in a family that make all of their money from the talents of other people. So, they’re a bit of a leech. It’s not an attack on anyone but he said himself he has no one around who he trusts, so you do lose grasp
He has a point in saying that ‘why should he limit himself’ but the whole thing he said about slavery is fucked. The conversation with the track; ‘Kanye vs the people’, which was a tune! TI representing the people, it’s an incredible tune. He’s playing devil’s advocate in a sense.

it’s a conversation which wasn’t happening which needed to happen in the black communities and other communities around different perspectives of racism in America from a slightly different angle. It was a conversation which needed to happen, even if it’s totally wrong, and the problem isn’t going to be solved as long it isn’t been talked about

Kofi: I can imagine some black people felt hurt that he wasn’t really representing or speaking for black people.

Louis: Yeah, they said in the interview you don’t experience what a black man feels anymore, and the truth be told he so far removed that now, he doesn’t fully understand what it means to be a black man in normal western society now.

Kofi: And you can hear his progression and change. Where in his earlier albums he spoke about how he was picked on for wearing tight jeans and being geek…

Louis: Yeah that’s what I liked about him because I’m a bit of geek as well and geeks rule the world. Its mad how many people of us are secretly into anime or zoology or something crazy.

Kofi: Couple last things before we go, if you couldn’t do music, what would you be totally outside music?

Louis: If music didn’t exist, I would be doing wildlife documentaries.

Kofi: You must be a fan of blue planet then?

Louis: Yeah, I love David Attenborough. He is my god, I have shrine of him in as you walk in my flat (nah, I’m joking) but I would love to meet that guy.

Kofi: Last thing I wanted to mention was you headline show coming up September. How you feeling for it?

Louis: Amazing, it sold out a couple weeks ago, and the following show I have will be at Ghostnotes in February!

You can listen to Sugar like Salt below via bandcamp: