In depth with… Gardens Of God
Gardens of God has fluttered through genres quite effortlessly with some sublime cuts on Ellum and BOSO respectfully. With a career carved in stone his music has featured in some major players sets this summer alone. Now set for a return to London with Lake People at Avant Garde this weekend, we sit down with GOG on his production and musical relationship with the beloved B.Traits.
Has music always been at the forefront of your life, what were you interested in in your younger years and how long was it before you fully immersed yourself with electronic music?
I was studying piano since I was 8, of course at the beginning it was classical music, bit of jazz, but quite far from electronica until my teenage years when I discovered lots of new genres listening to late night club music shows on a radio. I would then try making it by myself with super limited possibilities with my computer. After high school graduation I started working in a studio, producing songs for TV, Radio and later for Artists. Then in 2008 I started my first project with my friend, then I fully found myself in electronic music and after some time I felt confident enough to start my solo.
For those who haven’t previously heard your sound before, how would you best describe it and where would be the ideal place to experience your music?
It’s hard to describe the genre these days… Tech House, Deep House, Techno, Electronica… I guess the best way to describe the mood is dark and deep, but still energetic. The best place to experience my music would be to come see me play them live in a club!
Your productions are very melodically dominant, is this always the starting place for your tracks or do you start with another element, for example the drums, and do you follow a set order and procedure each time?
I used to wake up at night with melodies in my head with the aim to remember it. When I realised that’s impossible I started to write the notes on the paper, or record it on the phone. But still, when you hear something and you forget the context, melody may sound silly and useless. So now I’m skipping it and just resting instead of recording or trying to remember. Sometimes I start from sample or sound I create, sometimes it begins from the kick drum and the bass, sometimes I just take some noise and build everything around it. So basically there is no recipe for starting the procedure.
You have released over a number of labels including BOSO and Maceo Plex’s Ellum, can we expect to hear more from you on these labels and are there any other labels out there that you would love to get your music on?
It’s stupid to run after trends trying to release on the label which is cool at the moment. I think the best home for the record is when the label believe in tracks as much as you do. In my case, BOSO & Ellum loved my music and I decided to release, that’s it. Of course I’ll back there if they love what I do.
You have been sharing your music for some time now, how have you found the process of exposing your sound from the start and how did the ‘Future 12′ feature with B.Traits affect you career?
I have good management team since the beginning and they helped me a lot, it’s about doing best you can, leaving rest for the other pros. Not sure where I would be without my management, what would be without releases on Ellum or BOSO, what would be without my mix on Pete Tong’s “After Hours” or “Future 12” with B.Traits. To know how they will affect my career, only time will tell.
You are certainly becoming busier and busier with your live schedule, I know you’re set to play Avant Garde in London alongside Lake People and Few Nolder. What experience do you have playing in London, how do you think the clubbing culture compares to other cities around the world and what can we expect from your set that night?
It’s like your first love, you’ll always remember no matter what! My very first gig as Gardens of God was in London, it was scary and unforgettable. Huge warehouse, played right before Maceo Plex, crowd was already excited and hot so everything to love that first love!
Anyway, even without that fact, London never disappoints. Can’t wait to play there with these guys as I’m following Lake People since their “ON” EP and Few Nolder is my good friend, so looks like it will be great party!
So far the majority of what we have heard from you has all been solo work, can we expect any collaborative projects in the future, and who would you most like to work alongside?
It’s easier for me to make it alone, as it could be made without compromises, but sometimes collaborations give us some special colouring to the production. I’m actually working on some vocal tracks with really creative people, but let’s see what will be when it’s finished.
What piece of studio equipment, hardware or software, most defines your sound and why?
My Quested monitors, it’s one of the most important things in the studio. I tried a lot and these are my favourite at the moment. Very precise, clean and flat. Also no boosted low end which makes them not so popular in electronic music production. They’re made for classical and jazz music I guess and maybe that helps me to make my sound how it is.
Also, I don’t like to buy pre-owned things, but when I knew the guy is selling Zener Limiter by Chandler Limited used in Coldplay studio I bought it immediately. You don’t even need to turn it on to make track sound better, it’s enough to know Coldplay used to use it.
Do you prefer to be hidden in the studio, or playing out your creations behind the decks?
Both activities are charming even though they are different.
In a studio you’re a geek living your own life in imaginary world. Tweaking sounds for hours, turning knobs back and forward, searching for THAT melody… Sometimes you are stuck in that parallel life, loosing yourself in the track you make, but it’s a total blessing after you find what you need, after you make what you want.
Playing out for the crowd is more party than geek situation. You’re not alone in some small spaceship hearing the same 32 bar loop for a week, you’re not sitting and staring at the screen, so for me, gigs are escaping to the real world with the real people. Both studio and playing makes me happy and both are needed for each other.
2015 has been a fantastic year for you so far, what is ahead of you for the rest of the year and where would you like to see yourself in 2016?
You cannot plan your success, so I don’t. I’m really excited about my new EP which is coming later this year and also working on my new tracks. There are also some nice shows and tours planned for the future and the schedule looks busy until next year.
You can see Garden Of God this weekend at Avant Garde, Corsica Studios – https://www.facebook.com/gardensofgodmusic
