
Q: On your album The Jungle there is a wide variety of sounds. Can you talk a little bit on how you decide on the palette of sounds you want to use on an album or song?
A: I guess it's difficult to pin down. I've always made music in certain styles out of necessity. By this I mean that if you look at my early stuff, it is all just me and a guitar for the most part, because that's all I had. When I acquired and understood other means, such as using technology on my phone and manipulating sounds and my voice, my palette evolved. For this album all I used was an acoustic guitar and my iPhone. Learning how to manipulate my acoustic guitar sound ended up actually aiding me to make more abstract sounds. Trying to make my acoustic guitar sound like something else results in incredibly interesting textures. Another of the main elements in the sound is the fact that I wanted to be experimental and have fun, and was just starting out with drum machines and patterns, and resulted in music I've never made before. The title track is all made using a drum machine, and then I sing over it. The versatility and ease of use of technology in my pocket has always fitted the style of music I want to make: unique, impromptu and always good fun.
Q: On that note can you walk us through your creative process. How does a song manifest for you? Does it starts with idea, sound, etc?
A: Normally for me I would write loads of lyrics. I'd always be writing lyrics down early on with the plan to write a song around i; so the lyrics would end up having an inherent structure. For this album it was like that about half the time, on songs such as “Bad For Me” (for which I already had the lyrics, written by my brother Max Johnson), and “I'm Not Ok” (a song I've had knocking about for almost two years). All the other tracks were sonic experiments which I then used my stream of consciousness ramblings to pick and choose words and phrases and create a thematic dialogue over the top of it. This is most clear on “The Souls Grown Cold” and “Why Do I.”
Q: What is your live setup like? I’m picturing it’s somewhere close to an artist like Panda Bear.
A: I've been playing live for two-and-a-half years now and I have never once played with anything more than just my voice, a guitar and a harmonica. That's where this album is really unique in the stuff I play, as apart from the final track “On The Shore,” I can't replicate this stuff live without first stretching myself as an artist, something I believe I must always strive to do. So all in all, my set up is not much like Panda Bear!
Q: Labeling your music is difficult. I think thats a good thing. How would you describe your music to someone that never listened to it? On that note what were your influences for the album - musical or otherwise?
A: I guess I'd label it as basic alternative, which is always a bit of a cop out, but kind of is the closest I could get. The influences aren't really clear however. I listened to a lot of Tom Waits at the time, which definitely influenced my vocals, and had been listening to Car Seat Headrest which gave me a drive to make a bit more noise than usual. Other than that, it is a big mix of all that I've listened to over the years. The most notable change in sound I guess would be my percussion focus, something that oddly comes from listening to Young Thug. I just thought the trap beats on his songs where so awesome, and managed to make them work well on certain songs, and it was so much fine. Another big influence on this album was art. Chloe Kelly, who did all artwork for the album (as seen on www.benjohnsonmusic.co.uk) has done lots of collage in the past, and it is something I wished to replicate in my music, thus creating an eclectic mix of styles and sounds and words under one unifying structure.
Q: Is there one or more songs on the album that is indicative of your future sound? Is there a song on the album that sticks out to you as more “single worthy” than the others?
A: Personally, I'm a very big fan of “The Soul's Grown Cold” as it has a bluesy vibe, but stretches beyond to a sound I didn't think I could find. Not only that but it was also so much fun to write and record and is still so much fun to listen to. A song like “Bad For Me” is also a standout single-worthy song, but my other personal favorites are “I'm Not Ok”- a song I've been wanting to get right for a long while now - and the final track “On The Shore,” which is my favorite song that I have ever written.
Q: At eighteen years old you still have an ample amount of time to work on your craft. I have little doubt we will see your evolution as an artist. What do you see for yourself in 2017 and beyond? Do you plan to work with other musicians, work on visual components, etc?
A: At the moment I'm not sure in all honesty. I don't often work with musicians but that isn't because I'm not open to it, it's just that the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. I've always got a keen interest in the visual aspects of albums, and want to continue collaborating with Chloe Kelly for films and more art based around my music. As for 2017 and beyond, I have no idea. I always like to make music at the moment I'm feeling the emotion I wish to express, but until that emotion arises I have no idea what sounds I will create.
A: I guess it's difficult to pin down. I've always made music in certain styles out of necessity. By this I mean that if you look at my early stuff, it is all just me and a guitar for the most part, because that's all I had. When I acquired and understood other means, such as using technology on my phone and manipulating sounds and my voice, my palette evolved. For this album all I used was an acoustic guitar and my iPhone. Learning how to manipulate my acoustic guitar sound ended up actually aiding me to make more abstract sounds. Trying to make my acoustic guitar sound like something else results in incredibly interesting textures. Another of the main elements in the sound is the fact that I wanted to be experimental and have fun, and was just starting out with drum machines and patterns, and resulted in music I've never made before. The title track is all made using a drum machine, and then I sing over it. The versatility and ease of use of technology in my pocket has always fitted the style of music I want to make: unique, impromptu and always good fun.
Q: On that note can you walk us through your creative process. How does a song manifest for you? Does it starts with idea, sound, etc?
A: Normally for me I would write loads of lyrics. I'd always be writing lyrics down early on with the plan to write a song around i; so the lyrics would end up having an inherent structure. For this album it was like that about half the time, on songs such as “Bad For Me” (for which I already had the lyrics, written by my brother Max Johnson), and “I'm Not Ok” (a song I've had knocking about for almost two years). All the other tracks were sonic experiments which I then used my stream of consciousness ramblings to pick and choose words and phrases and create a thematic dialogue over the top of it. This is most clear on “The Souls Grown Cold” and “Why Do I.”
Q: What is your live setup like? I’m picturing it’s somewhere close to an artist like Panda Bear.
A: I've been playing live for two-and-a-half years now and I have never once played with anything more than just my voice, a guitar and a harmonica. That's where this album is really unique in the stuff I play, as apart from the final track “On The Shore,” I can't replicate this stuff live without first stretching myself as an artist, something I believe I must always strive to do. So all in all, my set up is not much like Panda Bear!
Q: Labeling your music is difficult. I think thats a good thing. How would you describe your music to someone that never listened to it? On that note what were your influences for the album - musical or otherwise?
A: I guess I'd label it as basic alternative, which is always a bit of a cop out, but kind of is the closest I could get. The influences aren't really clear however. I listened to a lot of Tom Waits at the time, which definitely influenced my vocals, and had been listening to Car Seat Headrest which gave me a drive to make a bit more noise than usual. Other than that, it is a big mix of all that I've listened to over the years. The most notable change in sound I guess would be my percussion focus, something that oddly comes from listening to Young Thug. I just thought the trap beats on his songs where so awesome, and managed to make them work well on certain songs, and it was so much fine. Another big influence on this album was art. Chloe Kelly, who did all artwork for the album (as seen on www.benjohnsonmusic.co.uk) has done lots of collage in the past, and it is something I wished to replicate in my music, thus creating an eclectic mix of styles and sounds and words under one unifying structure.
Q: Is there one or more songs on the album that is indicative of your future sound? Is there a song on the album that sticks out to you as more “single worthy” than the others?
A: Personally, I'm a very big fan of “The Soul's Grown Cold” as it has a bluesy vibe, but stretches beyond to a sound I didn't think I could find. Not only that but it was also so much fun to write and record and is still so much fun to listen to. A song like “Bad For Me” is also a standout single-worthy song, but my other personal favorites are “I'm Not Ok”- a song I've been wanting to get right for a long while now - and the final track “On The Shore,” which is my favorite song that I have ever written.
Q: At eighteen years old you still have an ample amount of time to work on your craft. I have little doubt we will see your evolution as an artist. What do you see for yourself in 2017 and beyond? Do you plan to work with other musicians, work on visual components, etc?
A: At the moment I'm not sure in all honesty. I don't often work with musicians but that isn't because I'm not open to it, it's just that the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. I've always got a keen interest in the visual aspects of albums, and want to continue collaborating with Chloe Kelly for films and more art based around my music. As for 2017 and beyond, I have no idea. I always like to make music at the moment I'm feeling the emotion I wish to express, but until that emotion arises I have no idea what sounds I will create.