Seattle Washington Indie band The Glacial Drift wins with a shift to streamline production and appeal to the masses.
After struggling to maintain a consistently complete lineup, 3 members decided to strip things down and steer away from a clear prog-rock vibe and use more electronic instrumentation.
Currently with 31,595 Plays on Spotify.
Why did you decide to move away from Progressive rock to electronic instrumentation?
We’ve always had a love for experimenting. This began with a simple goal of telling the story with weird effects on our guitars.
We wanted to challenge ourselves with complex timing which involved playing back obscure samples through our instruments to create a lo-fi distant ambiance.
We arrived here through the challenges of keeping a consistent group together. Finding a great drummer that could stick with the trials and hard road of a startup band is tricky.
Instead, Xavier and Jason decided to focus on making great songs without the distraction of refilling holes in our lineup.
Sometimes you come to realize that working with what you have is much better than wanting what you don’t have.
Why did you choose electronic elements?
We are influenced by bands like The Mars Volta, Phantogram, Secret Chiefs 3.
Evolving from a more pure progressive rock style to incorporating electronic instrumentation required alot of improvising.
The first thing to adjust when switching to a more electronic sound was the beat. We needed to stick with a recognizable framework. A majority of our ideas and improv sessions came from looping simple patterns and layering guitars, keys, bass, vox, and samples until we had something raw yet fresh. The rest was chopped up and formed into something entirely new by Xavier during mixing.
What most excites you about being a musician?
There is something very soothing and centering about performing music. The stringing of sounds together into something visceral and real.
Through that experience, inspiration happens.
Using a recorded medium to hold on to that performance often results in a whole new experience and outcome. Music has the potential to convey infinite emotions and tells so many stories; it never gets tiring.
Let’s talk about the culture of music. How do you feel about the current state of the music business?
The music business is constantly in flux. Technology changes so frequently and music performance and creation have become so intertwined with that it’s so difficult to maintain any consistency.
The successful musicians are finding a way to harness those changes to reach an audience craving to satisfy their desires to stay ahead.
One of the best aspects of the music business today is the ability and relative ease for which an artist can create and grow by using the technologies we have.
If you look back at a time and see hurdles that have changed the music business in the past, how do you feel that music may move forward in our future?
It would be incredible if we got to a place where musicians could freely create their art without such financial disrespect. (Spotify)
Streaming and social platforms have done wonders for the music community but much of the profit never makes its way back down to the actual creators. Artists must be able to make a living creating so we can come out of this pandemic with intact music communities throughout the globe.
Think back to when you started pursuing music-making, performing, or producing… What is one piece of advice you would give yourself if you were just getting started all over again?
That’s easy. Don’t wait for it to be perfect.
Too many times I have (and still do) shelved an idea or delayed completion of a project because it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to make. Much of making music is a process and change is inevitable throughout that process. I wish my younger self could’ve recognized that sooner.
Article Written by @JacquelineJax
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