Past, present & future : An interview with Ellis K.

If you were ever thinking of an enigmatic musician, your mind would probably cast straight to people like Enya or Kate Bush, no? Well, I can tell you now that Ellis K. is much more of an enigma, but despite this, you can learn the most about him through his music. I had the fantastic opportunity to speak with him and discuss his previous musical works, his current projects and his ambitions.

So let's get to learn about you a little more, when and why did you start your career in music?

Well, talking from a professional view, about three years ago, but personally, I'd say about 6 years now. You see, my musical tastes have and will always change, yet I'd say that I have a very broad musical preference, and that really isn't something I'd change for the world. I think that that has really influenced me and pushed me to go forward with music. I never really thought that I would go into music, but now it's something that I couldn't change. I think that I had such an urge to release my music to the world and push it out there, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it in any other way than to go for it, to hit it straight on.

Would you say that your musical taste has an effect on your song-writing and the tone that you create for your albums?

Most definitely. It has a profound effect on my music. I've always written, produced and recorded my own content, it's not because I'm a control freak or because I think that I can do it in a better way than anyone else, but I feel that I have such a deep connection with my music, and I want to walk with it until I set it free to the limitless boundaries of the world of listeners. I've seen the level of inspiration that certain songs give me, so much so that I've worked on a particular song for hours and then find myself pressing that 'delete' button because it sounds too much like a song I've been listening to recently. It can drive me mad. So, I have my little rule - while I am taking a break from my music, I can listen to as much music as I want, but as soon as I go back to the studio, off goes the music for a few weeks and I try to find the music from deep inside of my soul. That sounds a bit crazy, doesn't it! And as for changing the tone for my albums, it was definitely is something like that once. I would write albums and record demos. Then, I would shelve it and go back to it in a few months to find that it was not at all 'my style' and found that it would probably be better to just start a new one. It sounds brutal, I know, but that's just the way I used to do things - now, I definitely think that after experimenting for about two or three years on my own personal style, I have finally found a way to write music that suits me best. I can definitely see my style evolving over the coming years, as it has done since the release of the debut album.

Could you talk us through the process of writing new material and ultimately creating the album to pair with it?

Yeah, It's a long process. I can sit in the studio for days and not come up with a single thing, and then one day, the music flows out of me like a waterfall. I find that it is important to see where my music takes me, so I almost don't interfere with what my hands are doing on the piano, you know? It's almost an automatic response, and in the end, it sounds much better than the manufactured response produced by me trying my hardest on a 'bad day' to write a song. I have thought that it will take as long as it needs to take - and I can't do anything about it. After I've written the very basic melody, I try to add some more layers, then I experiment with a synth here and an orchestral ensemble here, and before I know it, I have a song that is starting to take shape. Then, I can get a little too carried away, I start trying to add too many instruments, or I will think, 'Oh, this will sound better with some violins backing it', and then it becomes a mess. If I go too far, I have to start peeling back the layers of instruments until I find the core melody again, and I work back from there to create a more appropriate instrumental accompaniment. Once I feel it is as good as it can be, I will review the song. I will then leave it for a few days and go back, just as an extra precaution to make sure that it isn't bad. Once I've done that, I will work on more tracks, and once I feel that I have produced all of the required tracks for a good album, I will send it off for review. It should then get a few constructive remarks, and after tweaking it slightly, I have the album ready to be paired with some nice visual content and ultimately, to be released. For example, with Ellis K., I looked at a few album cover ideas, and really liked the painting of me standing in front of the hedge. It could be taken in many ways, it is not too revealing, nor is it too much to look at - after all, the album artwork has to compliment the music, not overpower it, because just by doing that little thing, you can lose the whole feeling of the album. It was actually during the design for the cover for Ellis K. that I found my logo. It was just my writing in chalk on the painting. After the last checks, it is sent of for publishing, and then distribution, and after we have chosen an appropriate release date, we're ready to press the 'release' button. I like to stay in charge of promotional imagery and content, but only because I feel that I have grown so close to the album over the ten months to a year of me working on it, that I want to see how it's promoted. The rest is left to the label, and for the listener to interpret.

What do you think of Ellis K.?

I loved the buzz of releasing an album - it was great, though honestly, looking back I would have definitely changed a few things - including that ghastly tracklist. I don't know what I was thinking. There are only about 5 songs on the album that I like, but I have been told that I am being to critical on myself. The release of the deluxe edition was great, because I felt as though I was more comfortable with the tracklist - though the artwork is rather dull (and I designed it)!

What about the Ellis K. Collection then, did you get to decide which tracks would be included?

Yeah. I decided against the idea of another album with a painting of me on it. I had definitely seen enough of those over the past four months! The minimal design of the blue marble and the text on top compliments the contents (or so I think). In terms of the contents, I picked all of the tracks. There were a few that I didn't want to include, but I wanted to stick to the total of 31 tracks, to remind me of the 31st August, the day Ellis K. was released.

Can you see yourself sticking to that rule of using a certain number of tracks as symbols?

Not really, no. It would get a bit boring for everyone else to be restricted to a certain number of tracks. I know that it is a little bit odd to do, but it was something that I wanted to do to signify my journey and why that album even exists.

You said earlier that your sound has evolved slightly since the release of Ellis K., would this mean there is a possibility of a completely different sounding second album and even vocals being included in future music - most importantly, your own?

I can see my sound evolving all of the time - but I don't for one minute think it is a bad thing at all. Most things have to evolve, and my music is definitely one of these things. As for a completely sounding second album, I can't see it straying that far from Ellis K., but I think that Ellis K. was just me experimenting with my style, my sound and now that I think that it has developed more, it will sound a little different, but not too different, because that won't be too good, will it? Vocals, yeah. They're tricky. I know they would suit my music and just by including them in Winter's Lullaby, it made it sound ten times better, but I don't want to change the music too much. I have got to say this though, I love singing, I have a real passion for it, but at the moment I'm not too comfortable singing, but I would never rule that possibility out, because I am sure that one day I will end up singing.

And finally, is there a new album on the horizon?

I only just released the first one! No, I'm only joking, yes. I finished promoting Ellis K. in December of last year, and the promotion of The Ellis K. Collection was never meant to last for long, so I can happily say that I have wrapped it up now. I've taken a break since the release of Ellis K., I didn't have to do much for the collection, I just had to write and record a few songs - so I can happily say that I am working on the new album in part time, it's definitely wrestling with my break though, and I can't quite get away from the studio - it just keeps pulling me in! I am not going to devote all of my time to it yet, as I can't see it being released until either late this year or early next year [2022]. It won't be ready in time for August, or at least, I don't think so. We'll have to wait and see what time brings us, won't we...