Exclusive Interview with Vowl, a producer from Inverloch, Australia

Vowl. is a 23 y/o producer from Inverloch Australia. Check out the exclusive interview below:

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

Vowl: I’m from a small town called Inverloch down the bottom of Australia.

My start in music was super patchy. I was always a huge fan of music but I never thought I’d make it. One day I cracked FL Studio and ended up only trying to use it it once every month or two until I started to be able to piece shit together…then I was hooked.

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

Vowl: Self-taught. I went to the Australian Institute of Music for a total of 3 days before dropping out and trying to learn myself haha.

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

Vowl: My strongest influences at the very start were Clams Casino and Crystal Castles. Later in the SoundCloud days they became artists like Brothel and Divine.

The name vowl. was purely an aesthetic choice. My friend (harvest) and I were throwing random letter combos back and forth at each other until one of us said vowl with the full stop and I liked it so here we are. So deep haha.

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?

Vowl: I can’t speak for everyone but what resonates for me personally is the atmosphere of my music. Unintentionally the songs seem to have their own little worlds which I get absorbed into when I listen to them. They all hold a different feeling for me. So I would imagine my listeners could potentially feel similar.

My sound is all over the place, but if I had to describe it – metallic, deep and atmospheric.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as EDM?

Vowl: I remember for a long time I was just blindly making songs with no idea how to arrange/structure them. Then I went through a phase of emulating and re-creating songs to understand how they flowed or sounded ‘right’ to the ear. After understanding those fundamentals I was able to go my own way with it. I found that I progressed and had the most fun when I went out on a limb and just experimented. All of my favorite songs are the ones that randomly happened as a result of a new approach. So to answer the question, I don’t feel like I have a distinct ‘style’, my music naturally has a tinge of vowl, whether it’s in my rhythms or sounds, it just kind of happens. Weird answer, sorry hahah.

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?

Vowl: I think most of the time music is naturally all of those things, whether it’s the artist’s intention or not. We’re all making music at our own significant points in time, all of which are relevant to the state of the world or what’s happening societally/culturally. I personally make music with little thought other than the intention of trying to create or represent a feeling.

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

Vowl: I feel really happy and grateful for all the people listening to my shit. The only main change I would love in the future is connecting with people through live shows more often in the future. Seeing numbers is great but I’d prefer be seeing faces.

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?

Vowl: It’s random. I don’t exactly have a bulletproof process, more of a mindset when I start working on something. I typically ‘KNOW’ the feeling I want to create, whether it’s beamed into my brain, God, the universe – I just know what I want to hear and feel. I move from that point and my actions usually align. Whether it’s me sitting there trying to manipulate a lead for a while or building rhythms, it’s all with this ‘feeling’ in mind. When I do this I usually drop into the flow state then snapback into reality only to realize 3 hours have passed haha. That’s how I create (typically).

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

Vowl: Losing my mother at age 17 was tough. It created a void in me that I’m still dissecting 6 years later.

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

Vowl: To answer simply – everything. I’m feel so lucky to be able to make a comfortable living off my music. I’ve made so many great friends and have travelled a lot because of it. I couldn’t be happier with how everything is going.