Exclusive Interview with 'EHRAH' | Illustrate Magazine

EhRah began making music in 2010, focusing primarily on electro house and melodic themes. EhRah is back with a brand-new sound and is prepared to take on synthwave after a brief sabbatical (from 2016 until 2020). His melodies have unquestionably gotten better since then! Music is in his blood, as seen by his 17 years of guitar playing, 11 years of production, and 2 years of trumpet playing.

His new album, Stardust Genesis pushes the synthwave style in a melodically driven charge, bringing in cameos from heavyweights like LAU, Power Rob, and VENMC as well as the assistance of skilled musicians like bobthesheep and Aaron Scott for some grooving guitar/bass.

His first Synthwave album, Light Years to Echoes in 2021, is followed by this one. This album explores all possible paths for synthwave by combining his five hits from this year that were released with five previously unreleased new tracks. Check out the album Stardust Genesis and the exclusive interview with EhRah below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

EHRAH: I’m a 29-year-old graduate student from Montreal, Canada. I’ve been in love with music ever since I was a little kid. My dad used to sit me down and just spend hours listening to anything and everything with me. As for becoming a musician, oddly enough, it all started with a trumpet in band class some 17 years ago! That was my first exposure to playing music at the start of high school. I really enjoyed the experience and picked up the guitar just a year later! Having been born in the 90s, I grew up listening to the great guitarists of the 70s-80s such as Van Halen, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, etc. I wanted to emulate them. I’ve been playing ever since.

As for how I picked up electronic music, that’s quite the funny story. Back in 2010, a good buddy of mine invited me to go see a dubstep show. I was completely unaware of the genre, but I had nothing to do that weekend, so I said, “Why not?”. I ended up having such a blast discovering a completely new and foreign genre of music at that show. The next day, I was so in awe by what I had heard. It was so different from the music I listened to and redefined the frame of what music could be in my mind. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how they even made such robotic and alien sounds. So, I picked up a digital audio workstation (DAW) and that, as they say, was that! I’ve been producing electronica ever since. Having gone through a plethora of different genres while finding my sound, I ended up going back to the roots of what I loved about music: the epic 80s lush sound palette. So almost 20 years later, here I am producing retro/80s music.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

EHRAH: When it comes to training, I’d say I have a minimum of formal training. I spent 2 years in band learning about the basics of sheet music/theory. Afterwards, when I picked up the guitar, I took a year of classes. However, ever since then (around 2008), I’ve been self-taught in all regards. Since the pandemic hit, I’ve especially been more motivated to expand my theoretical palette so that I can try and paint more intricate pieces. I felt quite limited by my prior knowledge. The internet can be such a wonderful place for that. I followed a few YouTube pages that specialized in music theory, and it really helped me gain a more solid ground with which to compose.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘EHRAH’?

EHRAH: My influences have changed immensely across the last decade. At first, when I started producing, I was really in Electro House and would try to emulate the sound of acts such as Wolfgang Gartner, Deadmau5. Eventually, I realized I really loved the melodic aspect of the genre and started taking influence from Mord Fustang, Madeon, and Favright. They really emphasized the melodic and happy aspects of dance music. I remember when I first heard ‘Lick the Rainbow’ by Mord Fustang for the first time and I had to pick up my jaw off the floor. That was a turning point for me and defined my sound for a good 3-4 years. I took a hiatus for a few years and when I came back, I had an aching to try something new, to redefine myself. I suppose I was introduced to Synthwave at the right time in my life and really took to it.

My artist name has the most random story to be honest! I was sitting with a buddy listening to my first terribly produced beats almost 12 years ago. My friend then said to me: “This is like a new era for you man.” For some reason, that really resonated with me and I took the word ‘era’ adding 2 silent ‘h’ letters just for a flair of uniqueness. Although my musical project has passed through many different expressive iterations, the name has been with me ever since.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

EHRAH: I think that the key elements of my music can be characterized by this sentence: an 80s/retro palette with a modern twist. My objective here was to add a new flair to an otherwise very well explored genre. I think I’ve achieved that via 2 separate ideas. 1) I love blending in modern elements and creating retro modern hybrid songs. I think the best example of that from my album is with ‘Spike’s Song’. It has a super retro videogame aesthetic instrumental. However, the vocals are heavily roboticized and autotuned. That’s not exactly the first blend you’d think of when we mention Synthwave/synth pop. However, I humbly believe I’ve found a way to make it work in a pleasing fashion.

Secondly, I love to sneak in music theory concepts that go beyond the classic minor/major scale in music. I’m talking here about modal mixture, the use of secondary dominant chords, etc. I don’t think I’m revolutionizing anything here but adding just enough of that spices up the compositional aspect in my opinion. A lot of Synthwave suffers, in my opinion, from looping the same chord patterns we’ve heard thousands of times. I’ve tried breaking free from it in order to stand out from the lot.

5. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
**EHRAH**:
If I’m being honest, my music doesn’t have a deeper story driving the whole project. My personal mantra is to try and transport the listener and have them feel something throughout the song. I would love for people to feel what I feel when I’m composing the music, but I don’t think it’s a requirement for the enjoyment of the work. In that regard, I feel that each listener has a unique interpretation of my work that resonates with them. As such, I am firm believer that everyone should be free to interpret my songs as they see fit.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

EHRAH:

A lot of music can have extremely powerful social repercussions. I’m thinking here of things by ‘Rage Against the Machine’ and a lot of Hip Hop. Music can be an amazing tool to convey important messages. In contrast, my music is a way for me to feel artistic, to have fun, and to travel if only but for a small while. It allows me to express a part of me that I do not express in my everyday life. I try to convey it through this ephemeral experience. Thus, I hope that my listeners can pause their lives just for a second, close their eyes, be in the present and enjoy the moment.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

EHRAH:

Music has always been my main passion. No other form of art has moved me as much. I feel that, when I produce/compose, I can pause my brain and completely lose myself in the process. It allows to me destress and is akin to my own form of meditation. I feel that I’ve gotten so much out of just that process alone. Therefore, anything more is just the cherry on top. Having seen the reaction to my music across the globe has been humbling and has filled me with joy. The future holds something different for sure. I’ve been hired to compose the soundtrack to an indie game and that could lead to a host of different opportunities if all goes well. Only time will tell!

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

EHRAH:

My process has been refined over time, but there’s 2 things I always do no matter what the type of song. 1) I always hash out the main chord pattern with a piano. This chord progression would be what we consider the hook. Afterwards, I go from there and expand on the structure. 2) I always follow up with my drum processing. I am finicky when it comes to drums, so I make sure to take the proper time to create a drumkit that fits the idea in my head. Once I have those two elements, I go from there and complete the song structure. Finally, I add what I like to call “ear candy”: elements that fill out the song and make it feel whole. I don’t often collaborate on the instrumental creation process, but I have had many collaborations with vocalists. Oftentimes, I’ll send them an instrumental, they’ll work out a main idea that we review together, and then we adapt the instrumental to fit the bill.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

EHRAH: The most difficult part about my music career has, without a doubt, been finding my audience. On Spotify alone, 60 000 songs are released every day. There has never been this much music and this much market saturation/availability to the everyday listener. This makes standing out a monumental task. Moreso, there has never been this much talent looking for a stage as well. I am blown away almost weekly by under the radar releases with little traction. I guess what I’m trying to say is that in this day and age, standing out from the lot is in and of itself the greatest challenge.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

EHRAH: The highest point, and my proudest, is the release of my last two albums. The first, ‘Light Years to Echoes’, one came out in February 2021 with my follow up ‘Stardust Genesis’, being released on October 19^th, 2022. These represent the culmination of all my creative process pushed to its limit. I feel that each of these works not only contains individual tracks that I am proud of, but also stand well as a complete work. I had never released anything past EPs and singles. Having two albums under my wing is something that I am most definitely proud of.