Asking an artist for the story behind their latest production can be a bit of a gamble…
Sometimes there just isn’t a story; the producer was in the studio working away, doing what they do each and every day, and the track came together. That’s it. No story. Move on and ask them something better.
Other times, though, you discover something really cool. Something that defies a logical explanation and reinforces the magic of the music that brought us all here in the first place.
Au5’s beautifully barbed Snowblind is definitely in the latter category. Released on Monstercat this week (and currently at number one in the Beatport dubstep charts), not only does its roots boast a serendipitous saga where things came together to elevate beyond his original plan, but it also triggered a creative flurry that will garner LOADS of really exciting new material in the near future.
Hey, it goes even deeper again… There’s a similar story behind one of his last UKF uploads last year, Crystal Mathematics. It’s clear that when it comes to translating a vibe in his music, Au5 is definitely doing something right.
The Story Behind Au5 – Snowblind…
“I wrote this the day after Christmas, December 2013. I actually started to write it on a plane coming back from a 12 day trip in San Francisco. It has been such an inspiring trip. I was only there for one show but ended up staying with this group of people in San Jose for 12 days. I didn’t know who they were before then but they turned out to be super awesome people.
The whole experience was a giant shift for me. A giant shift in environments that I’m used to. And it was wholly conducive to what the song is actually about… it’s about leaving the past that holds you back and moving forward in a passionate rage. It’s all about pushing forward and doing what you love. As a result, this year has been the most productive and exciting year of my life. I’ve been hardcore producing and now have 15 tracks in the works that I’m super stoked to get out next year. This spring was the first time I played outside the US. I played in Paris which was, I have to say, the best show I’ve ever played.
But what’s really cool about this track, though, is that it was an instrumental until I got in touch with Tasha. She loved the track and agreed to work with me and first vocals she sent back were totally on point. Like ridiculously on point. She picked up the vibe and wrote what made sense. I had given her no cue points, we’d had no discussions on what had inspired me to write the track, she just knew what I was trying to do through the music. It was perfect.”
What a connection… And it’s not the first time this has happened!
The Story Behind Au5 – Crystal Mathematics…
“Coincidently, the same thing happened on Crystal Mathematics when I asked Shaz if she’d be interested in working with me.
Around this time in my life I’d just dropped out of college and I was beginning to get much deeper into spirituality, metaphysics and the nature of the universe. This song was written in the pinnacle of that spiritual awakening which has become an ongoing thing for me, every day. It plays a huge role in my life.
There is no way Shaz would have known this when I asked her to write and sing the lyrics on this song. I sent the instrumental, I didn’t give her any idea of what I was thinking lyrically and she picked up on the vibe. Her first draft of lyrics was totally on point. She got it!”
Quite whether the nature of the universe is drawing these perfect singer partnerships to Au5 or, like asking a producer for the story behind their song, it’s simply a bit of a creative gamble, we’re unsure… But we know two things: Au5 is on to something special and he has a lot more new material to come. We can’t wait to wrap our ears around it all.
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