Seven Lions
Live @ Ultra, OWSLA stage 03-16-13
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Miami during WMC is absolute insanity. Artists, Label Reps, Publicists, Bloggers and fans are rushing around the streets of South Beach, bouncing from party to party, trying to get the most out of their experience. This year was our first year working it, and we definitely had far too much stacked on our plate.
With that being said, we unfortunately couldn’t sit down with Seven Lions in person. As many of you know from posts in the past, Seven Lions is a TMN favorite. His melodic and often aggressive style is something that’s truly unique. We’ve supported every almost all of his music, and will continue to do so. On top of loving his production, we’re also huge fans of his live show. We caught his set at the Anjunabeats Pool Party, and it ended up being one of the most memorable ones from our trip. We highly encourage you head out an see him live. In fact, if you’re in the LA area, you can catch him this Friday at his first headlining gig in LA at CONTROL.
TMN: It goes without saying that you have been one of our favorite producers of all times, blurring the lines between genres. The Cosmic Love (Florence and the Machine) remix just left us floored. What is your primary source for discovering new independent music?
SL: The internet was my primary means of finding new bands, especially when I was first really finding my love for music early on. None of my friends listened to metal back in the day so I would spend countless hours just searching through websites for bands. When I am listening to more mellow music, like acoustic stuff, I will use Pandora. Also, Erik Mongrain radio is my jam. I don’t listen to a lot of new stuff to be honest. I tend to fall back on metal albums I’ve listened to for years.
TMN: We know you love a good beer, tell us what is your favorite?
SL: Russian River’s Pliney the Elder, or Dogfish head 90 min
TMN: Not a lot of people know this about you but you are a big fan of Metal music, what are some of the bands you listen to and does it influence your music?
SL: Surely does – Ensiferum, Opeth, Wintersun, Porcupine Tree, Cephalic Carnage, Blind Guardian, At the Gates, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, Novembre
TMN: Out of all the tracks you have released, which one do you think had the biggest impact, not popularity wise, but in promoting what you are all about.
SL: Tyven, for a lot of reasons.
TMN: What do you think is the biggest difference between dubstep now compared to 3 years ago.
SL: Honestly, I really never liked dubstep back then. A lot of really cool/melodic stuff is coming out now, not just dubstep either. It’s for sure changed since I first heard it a few years ago. It seems like most of the popular stuff is really well produced and it wasn’t always that way. I remember one of the things that really turned me off about dubstep at first was how poorly it sounded sonically.
TMN: With every release, your sound keeps evolving, how do you manage to continually come up with a new set of sonic experiences? And how much is that influenced by outside factors?
SL: A lot of influence has come from playing shows lately. The more I play to a larger crowd the more I think about that while writing music. It’s added a whole new thing to think about while composing/producing a song. On the other hand, I have realized that not every song needs to be a dance floor track, when I am working on a song on not worried about how it will sound on a big system, I feel much more creative.
TMN: What is the biggest difference for you between “Days To Come” EP and “Polarize”?
SL: I think Polarize was a collection of songs that I spent years experimenting on and getting my sound right. Days To Come was less experimental and more focused on where I wanted to go with the project.
TMN: Is there anyone in particular that you would like to collaborate with?
SL: Ellie Goulding, Imogen Heap, Sigur Ros
TMN: As one of the most blogged about artists in the scene, often topping the charts on Hype Machine, what role do music blogs play in bringing more exposure to less known artist?
SL: Music blogs are huge. They have as much or more power than a lot of record labels. I feel very lucky to have such support from the community.
TMN: Ok, we know you’ve been interviewed a lot in Miami. We’d like to change the pace up a little and ask you some random questions:
TMN: Who is your favorite bond?
SL: Sean Connery
TMN: What do you do for a hangover cure?
SL: Mimosas
TMN: If you could only have one artist’s music in your ipod, who would it be?
SL: Opeth
TMN: Snap backs or fitted hats?
SL: Mostly top hats or wide brimmed straw hats
TMN: Name three words that describe your music:
SL: “Melodic, Progressive, Heavy”
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