Gabriel Rioux Interview
Q: Can you talk about your history as a songwriter?
A: I started getting into music when I was 15, I had a few classmates who played guitar and I wanted to start a band with them. That went nowhere but I picked up guitar and over the years I have been playing on and off making some songs occasionally until I decided I wanted to go out there and start making proper music without relying on searching for a band.
Q: What inspired you to make Dreamstate?
A: I always wanted to release an album. The thought of committing yourself to one project until it was finalized and putting it out there as an expression of yourself was one of my big life goals. I also wanted something to put on a portfolio for myself so I decided to hone my music skills into basically a big demo tape masquerading as an album.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes?
A: Most of the album is just tracks assembled together but an overarching theme I put together is the idea of the subconscious mind, all of the song titles represent states of the mind and strung together to show the thought process of someone getting over a hard time in their life.
Q: Can you talk about your history as a songwriter?
A: I started getting into music when I was 15, I had a few classmates who played guitar and I wanted to start a band with them. That went nowhere but I picked up guitar and over the years I have been playing on and off making some songs occasionally until I decided I wanted to go out there and start making proper music without relying on searching for a band.
Q: What inspired you to make Dreamstate?
A: I always wanted to release an album. The thought of committing yourself to one project until it was finalized and putting it out there as an expression of yourself was one of my big life goals. I also wanted something to put on a portfolio for myself so I decided to hone my music skills into basically a big demo tape masquerading as an album.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes?
A: Most of the album is just tracks assembled together but an overarching theme I put together is the idea of the subconscious mind, all of the song titles represent states of the mind and strung together to show the thought process of someone getting over a hard time in their life.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I typically start by noodling on my guitar until I get a sound I like and then I try to build off of that. Some songs get made as a short demo and then get untouched for several months before I revisit them.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: To this day my recording process is still low budget. I have a cheap Jackson guitar and bass and I plug them into an audio interface connected to my computer. Then I record straight into there using free plugins in my DAW to try and achieve a studio quality sound. Everything heard on Dreamstate is all free plugins including the drums, except for the guitar and bass tracks.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: While Dreamstate is an instrumental album, I plan on getting a vocalist for the next project I work on and I want to expand to more experimental and progressive music. But i'll see where my journey takes me.
A: I typically start by noodling on my guitar until I get a sound I like and then I try to build off of that. Some songs get made as a short demo and then get untouched for several months before I revisit them.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: To this day my recording process is still low budget. I have a cheap Jackson guitar and bass and I plug them into an audio interface connected to my computer. Then I record straight into there using free plugins in my DAW to try and achieve a studio quality sound. Everything heard on Dreamstate is all free plugins including the drums, except for the guitar and bass tracks.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: While Dreamstate is an instrumental album, I plan on getting a vocalist for the next project I work on and I want to expand to more experimental and progressive music. But i'll see where my journey takes me.