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133 - Sulk Rooms
Giannis Kampiotis
November 28, 2023
Artist Interviews ๐ถ Studio Tours ๐
Hello music people ๐
Today in the spotlight, Sulk Rooms
Currently in the UK, he got into music production after observing the big heads of the scene performing. He is now making music for a living in his inspiring studio ๐ถ
Interview & Studio Tour
Who are you and what is your relationship with music?
Sulk Rooms - an electronica producer and performer based in Yorkshire, UK.
I began making music by playing the guitar in bands as a teenager and then discovered electronic music through seeing artists such as Surgeon, Autechre and 65daysofstatic performing live.
How they were making music fascinated me and led me to investigate synths, drum machines and music software.
I've been making music as my only income for just over 13 years and I license a lot of my music to films, TV shows and commercials.
Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?
I would definitely say my guitar - any guitar! I can get ideas down with a guitar very quickly and I like to have a physical connection with music. I find that if I can get a few decent chords or melody ideas with a simple guitar sound they'll sound awesome on just about anything.
What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?
Other than free plugins (which I have a lot of) I'd say my Octave Fuzz pedal. It's a clone of the Earthquaker Devs Life Pedal and was about ยฃ50. It's on almost every single sound I make and I have it as a permanent send/return from my computer. It doesn't do anything super interesting, but it has a great character and I've learned how everything works on the front panel 100000%.
Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.
I like to start with listening to a few tracks I've been enjoying over the past month or so and get inspiration and moods that I can use to get me quickly started.
I don't like to sit at the computer and hope something happens, I'd rather get a helping hand from another source. It's not necessarily the same music I'm making - I can be listening to Blink 182 and find an interesting chord sequence that I can play with a synth through some pedals.
Once I have this single burst of inspiration I can really settle in to working hard and see where the session takes me. I like to make lots of loops of random audio so that I can build up dense atmospheres and then I'll come up with a slow moving bassline to anchor everything down.
I want my music to be 'lyrical' (even without words/singing) and I want it to sound live, so I'll play as much as possible on instruments or control pedals manually.
I want to keep mistakes/errors in and I don't believe in having everything totally perfect and polished!
What is a production technique that you always come back to?
Looping! Most of my music is made from hours of looping synths and guitars, which is then exported as audio. Then I'll pitch these loops up and down various octaves and double everything up.
I love using loops that are out of tempo/off grid too, so that you can never feel totally at ease or comfortable with rhythm.
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How would you describe your style?
Dense. Weighty. Crushing. All words similar to these! I like maximum amounts of noise with minimal elements. I always tell people that I make atmospheric droning techno.
What is a big challenge you have as an artist?
It's definitely hard scheduling and managing social media, especially at the moment. It's an essential part of being a musician these days, but it can really drag you down. I try and limit my time on Instagram etc and take lots of breaks offline.
There's a constant feeling of paranoia and anxiety that goes with social media and it's difficult to get the balance just right as there are some amazing people to meet on there.
Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?
I think so, yes. I've always loved objects and things and I'm a very tactile person.
My house is full of antiques, taxidermy and curios. I like to touch and hold things. I feel the same about music equipment too - it makes me happy to have things and see things. Colours and shapes and objects.
I don't have hardware primarily for the sound, I have it because of its connection to making music and to make me feel happy. I recently found that the music I've enjoyed making the most has been when I've been having the most fun in the studio, so whatever it takes to have fun I'll carry on with!
One tip on how to spark creativity?
Load up 5-6 tracks that you love at the moment and flick through them to various points. Try and pick out an interesting aspect (melody/rhythm/mood) and then build something around this. Think of a few words that come to mind when listening and use these to give you the right energy.
A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?
I would actually say the video game 'Little Nightmares', which inspired my whole album 'Viewers' last year.
ฮnything else you'd like to say?
Make the music that YOU want to make, not what someone else expects or what you think people will like.
The chances are is this music already exists and people don't want clones. We want your own style and something unique.
Where can people find more of your music and connect with you online?
Gear List
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Giannis @giannis.kampiotis
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