It seems like the option of anonymity and a lack of promotion is one currently finding favour among artists right now. Burial is an obvious example of this along with the well known track, Sicko Cell. It offers the producer freedom to try new things under an unknown name so comparisons can’t be made with previous work. The excitement for this is quickly growing back into the scene so it’s no surprise more up and coming producers are keeping their identities a secret. Little Black Ant, known as Alice Ant, is stylistically like nothing we’ve heard before. With a stack of influences such as 2562, Caribou, Gold Panda, Joy Orbison, Mount Kimbie and SBTRKT, we had to have a listen! Blessed by 4 tracks on Soundcloud, we were immediately struck by ‘Cry Oh’, a beautiful production by this UK based electronic producer.
Hi Alice! The first thing I want to know is what’s enthusing you to do this right now? Where does your drive to make music come from?
I’ve always been into music. Well, ever since I can remember. My family had a tape in the car of ‘Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express’ and that always stuck in my mind. It gave me nightmares. I dreamt of trains coming towards me with the headlights beaming in my face. My drive to make electronic music began from listening to that album.
When did your work under the name of Little Black Ant begin? Were you producing before LBA was created?
Yes I made tunes under another name before Little Black Ant. I think the tunes I used to make helped me develop a style. Before LBA, every time I wrote a track it was completely different from the last. I’d write a melodic electronica track and then a month later I would write a dark techno tune. However, the more tunes I wrote the better I got at finding my sound. Little Black Ant started at the beginning of 2011.
So your work as LBA came together quite naturally. How do you go about making a track? Do you have to be in certain mind frame, place, time of day?
I can’t ever write a tune in the morning. I have to be in exactly the right mood. Sometimes I’ll start a tune, get caught in a loop and have to come back to it a few days later. I usually have to be completely alone with no distractions or people around. It helps if I’m hungry because it motivates me to actually finish the track and go get something to eat.
Food’s a good form of motivation. What are you working on at the moment? What can we expect from you in the coming months?
Nearly all my music is based on film soundtracks. If I find a sample that has an orchestral sound to it then I work around that. I’ve been working on a new tune for about a month now and all I’ve written is an 8 bar loop. I wish I could play it to you… It’s big. Maybe I should starve myself today so I can finish it.
I’m not sure when I’ll put another one of my tunes on the net. You might hear from me in June.
Tell me about ‘Cry Oh’. How and when was that produced?
Cry Oh was the fastest tune I ever wrote. It only took me about 3 hours to write. I was asked to produce a demo for someone but I only had 2 tracks finished back in March. When I started to create Cry Oh I based the whole song on a few violin samples. The violins made the track sound really melancholic so I sprinkled a few ooohs and aaahs over the track to give the melancholy a human quality.
Whenever I go about writing a tune like Cry Oh I have no idea how it will sound until it’s finished. I don’t even give the song a name until I’ve listened to it a few times. I like the name Cry Oh though, don’t you?
It works well. When are you planning on unveiling yourself? Do you think you ever will? I think there’s a certain sense of excitement when listening to a producers work who’s anonymous. The hype behind Sicko Cell was just unreal! I think people get more excited over the idea of not knowing who someone is.
It’s weird because I’ve told everyone who I am, Alice Ant. The only thing I haven’t said is where I’m from and what I look like. Some blogs seem to think I’m from London but I haven’t told anyone yet. Maybe people will find out who I am when I do a live show. I’m really bored of seeing artists hiding behind their laptops looking like they’re checking their emails. It’s so predictable to watch someone just stand there with their headphones on, twiddling knobs and pushing buttons. When I play live I’m going to do something different. You’ll just have to wait and see what that will be.
I look forward to it. You have heaps of influences but what stuff are you listening to right now?
I love the way things are going with new music at the moment. It’s so easy to listen to unsigned music. I came across Everlone by chance on Soundcloud and his music is beautiful. Also Wolf Cub, Bolshoi and the most blogged about Sun Glitters are all random delights I found on Soundcloud. Holy Other, Koreless and Dauwd are making some incredible music right now too. Electronic music is reaching out to so many people now. It’s amazing to be able to watch James Blake on Jools Holland and Mount Kimbie and SBTRKT on Channel 4′s Abby Road Debuts. Electronic music rules!
Yeah, I completely agree. How do you see your music progressing in the future?
I had fun remixing Sun Glitters and Disclosure. You’ll probably hear more remixes from me in the future. I’d love to release a single or a body of work… like an EP or an album. I have a lot of music that hasn’t been listened to yet so I have no idea how my sound will progress. I just want to get my music out there. I’ve noticed that lots of guys produce electronic music, way more than girls. I want music produced by us ladies to be taken more seriously. I’m glad that my music is.
How do you think you’d approach doing an EP? Any thoughts on it as of now?
If I were to do an EP I would probably watch a film and use parts of the soundtrack for each track. It’s really hard to plan what to do. I wouldn’t have a clue how it would sound. I only use film soundtrack samples to help get the tune going. You have to have something to start the tune off right? Orchestral film music is my style.
Lastly Alice, what should we be listening to right now?
I’m gonna go with a relatively unknown artist with lots of talent.
No comments:
Post a Comment