Hey Andrew. Welcome to Rave It Up. It’s a pleasure. Thanks for taking out some time to chat with us.
Since this is your first time on Rave It Up, we’d love to get to know you a little bit better and start from the beginning to get a good idea of how you have made it to where you are today.
Where did you originally find your love for music?
My parents are both big music fans and I distinctly remember them playing all sorts of alternative and indie stuff (as well as charting stuff) a lot when I was little. I particularly liked all the 70s experimental alternative stuff I heard like Oxygène by Jene-Michel Jarre and this indescribably ahead-of-its-time epic called Sandstorm by a band called La Bionda. I got to listen to all sorts of things. Add to that, I was given organ/piano/keyboard lessons and got to learn contemporary songs.
Was music what you always thought of doing as a career when you were younger?
I never thought of it as a career, but I always thought of it as a passion. As a career, it still doesn’t make sense to me because it’s unlike any other career where you can see a straightforward path to get there except to keep trying to better yourself. What I can say is music is hardwired into my brain. There’s no getting rid of it.
Where’d the name ‘Spectoral’ originate from?
When I was young, I’d hop online to chat and muck around and I’d use the name “DJ Spectre”, I guess because I wanted to appear all spooky and enigmatic and mysterious, plus at that time I wanted to be a DJ. So it all combined into this image of a hooded ghostly figure wearing headphones in my imagination. Over the years, it kinda stuck with me but I evolved it a little, into Spectoral.
Throughout your time in the industry, have you had any issues with haters? If so, how do you deal with them? Does it ever get you down?
Thankfully no, not blatant haters. I’ve had people disagree with me and like pretty much every artist, I’ve had tonnes of criticism and knockbacks on my music but that’s water off a duck’s back. You learn to develop a thick skin pretty quickly in this industry if you want to keep going.
You now have a new track out called Movin’ On. It has a very Flume & Justin Timberlake vibe. Was this intentional? Are they inspirations of yours?
Neither of those two were deliberate inspirations for Movin’ On, but I do love both of them to pieces. It’s actually a huge compliment to hear you say that I sound like them. Movin’ On, to me, is more inspired by acts I’ve been listening to more recently like Sampha, Hayden James, Vasser, Active Child.
The song is all about a friend of yours. Can you tell us about her and her experience and why this story meant so much for you to write a song about it?
We’re really close. She’s one of my besties, so she knows this song is about her and she’s happy with it. The story behind it is, she’d spent years being pretty heavily in love with this guy who, unfortunately, was never single, never hers, yet she kinda didn’t have a way to convince her heart to let this dream go. There was always this “what if we do end up together”, but we’d talk about it and so much time had passed it really was time to be resolute and admit the healthiest and most self-respecting thing to do was to face the pain and let it go.
Did your friend ending up getting that guy? Or has she found someone new now?
She’s happier and more fulfilled than she’s ever been. Nobody needs someone who doesn’t want them that same way.
You have just released your EP An Incorruptible Dream as well and it is incredible! Congratulations! How long did it take you to put it all together? Is it true you planned this EP back in January? What held you back from releasing it earlier?
Why thank you! I’m very proud of this work. The songs were largely done by March but I wanted specific people to mix and master it for me, so there’s some admin waiting time involved and it’s just worth that extra wait. My team and I thought it’d be wiser to get all our ducks in a row so that we could really make an impact with the release with everyone being on board to support it in this way. It’s been fantastic and it’s a real testament to the faith everyone has in the music, in wanting it to do well.
You worked alongside some big names for An Incorruptible Dream – namely Tim Watt and Tim McArtney of Hercules Studio in Sydney (Flume, Touch Sensitive, George Maple), fellow producer Alius aka Sebastian Ivanov (Blake Rose, Arizona Jones) and musician Robin Waters (Ella Hooper, The Boat People). How was it working with them? Do you think it helped you grow as an artist?
Oh definitely. Working with The Tims proved to me that there’s this large “I don’t know what I don’t know” unknown potential with my songs. I could listen to a song I produced and feel so convinced it’s done, it can’t be better. Then I work with them and listen to how much it’s opened up and the bigger impact the track now has, and it’s a night and day difference. My ear couldn’t hear that before working with them. Now the penny has dropped and the bar permanently raised.
Working with Robin Waters is probably my most fulfilling experience. He developed my ear as a songwriter and how to approach structure and arrangement in a much more effective way. I’ve carried that into every song I write and can honestly say he’s had me improve in the past two years more than anyone else I worked with.
Your songs are filled with well-crafted lyrics. Are they all true stories from your life?
Yes, unless it’s about someone close to me, every single song is a moment in time from exploring my deepest feelings, insecurities, memories or fears. This is my most personal EP to date.
Do you ever have those days where you can’t think of any song ideas or lyrics? What do you do in those times?
Yeah, not every day has me spilling out a new song idea, but I actually have years worth of audio phone memos or rough demos I’ve recorded and stored in the cloud (privately on Soundcloud actually) so I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to making all of them. All I need to do is listen back to a few of those rough sketches and I’ll pick right back up from where I left it.
The name An Incorruptible Dream is a line from The Great Gatsby and it’s this idea of always trying to reach for the unattainable. Has there been a point in your life (or several points) where this has happened to you? If so, can you tell us about it?
Yeah definitely. I actually explore them and express them on the EP in every single song. Without giving too much away, the reason I named my EP after this Gatsby quote is that I have had (and still have) all sorts of dreams that become topics of my songs. A dream of ending up with someone, or chasing a dream career, or a certain feeling of fulfilment, or a feeling of happiness and escapism, or an intangible moment in my past (or future) that I long for. So while those dreams never seem to leave me or change all that much, they definitely shape and change and “corrupt” me, the dreamer, in my ever ageing quest to fulfil them all or come to terms with some that aren’t fulfilled.
Are you performing these songs from your EP live anytime soon?
We’re planning a run of dates for the summer. Keep an eye on my Instagram or Facebook (@spectoral) for announcements!
Even though you have already achieved so much, what else can we expect from you in the future?
Actually I’m deep into writing my follow-up EP, and while I haven’t settled on the final tracklist or the release date, it’ll be a 2019 project for sure.
Any plans to collab with other artists?
More than plans… I’ve completed a few collabs and I’m actively working on some right now! Some will end up on the new EP. The whole focus of it is a collaborative EP with guests, work with some Australian Hip Hop acts. I’d love to introduce more of the moodier side of electronic music that the genre here sort of neglects a bit in favour of summery festival anthems.
What advice would you give to our readers if they would like to follow their dreams of becoming a producer?
I’d just say don’t give in, expect an absolute truckload of knockbacks, expect to feel like it’s unattainable; it’s all part of the longevity test. I truly believe that the difference between those who succeed and those who give up is that the ones who succeed have secretly put up with failure for tonnes of years and in spite of that, continued to improve, to push themselves, raise the bar, take on new challenges, expand their network, and keep going.
Now we do have a question that all of your female fans would like to know the answer to….Are you single? (If so, what do you look for in a partner?)
Haha! I’m very happily taken, and you’d have to ask her what it was that nabbed me, because I’d list everything! She’s a stand-out in every way, plus her endless support of my music, being my number one fan and understanding my passion for it, is so beautiful and hugely appreciated by me.
As a closing statement and what is probably the most important question: Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 14-year-old self?
You’re going to be fine. You’ll never be right trying to predict your future, but the things you’re wrong about will become inspiration for your future self. Enjoy every moment because in the bigger picture, you’re extremely privileged.
And before we go, if the listeners would like to contact you or find out what you are up to, where should they go?
Instagram.com/spectoral is your best bet as I’m most active there, as well as Facebook.com/spectoral and Twitter.com/spectoral. For music, follow my profile on Spotify: head to bit.ly/spectoralspotify or if you’re the Apple Music or iTunes type, head to bit.ly/spectoralapple
Thanks again for having a chat to us today Andrew. Keep in touch!
Will do! Thanks for a great interview.
– Interviewed by Lauren Yeates
