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Up-and-coming Brighton-based artist ELLiS-D joins us for a chat, talking about his latest single 'Drifting' and playing at this years The Great Escape festival.
We checked in with one of Brighton’s newest and most exciting psychedelic, post/punk artists ELLiS-D. With the release of his latest single ‘Drifting’ and three upcoming shows at Brighton’s iconic The Great Escape festival next month, we decided to ask him all about it. ‘Drifting’ is a rollercoaster of a single, as it winds and races through 7 minutes of glistening guitars and driving drums, creating a celestial soundscape. Speaking to ELLiS-D, we found out what this latest single is all about and what fans can expect throughout the rest of the year.
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We absolutely love your latest single ‘Drifting’, congrats on releasing it! What’s the story behind the single?
Thanks! I began working on ‘Drifting’ at some point in January last year, in the midst of a couple of weeks where I was camping out at my shared studio space toying around with new ideas; I’ve always been a huge fan of garage-psych bands like King Gizzard + Oh Sees with their long, hypnotic instrumentals and I wanted to put my own spin on a similar ideal. In the end, I was hopping between instruments attempting to have a jam with myself and Drifting was the end result! I wanted to expand on this method of songwriting which I’d flirted with when creating my previous EP ‘We Are The Last Generation’, but with more of a playful undertone to the nature of the music itself.
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You’re playing at The Great Escape next month, does it feel quite surreal to be playing at such a great festival or is it something you’re already used to?
There’s always a real buzz in the air for The Great Escape and especially having missed out the last two years it’s going to be a real treat to be back at it again. It’s surreal in a sense but I find that The Alternative Escape shows I’ve been a part of over the years are such an amazing celebration of the local scene that I’ve not paid too much attention to the official festival itself!
What I’ve always really loved about the alternative shows as well is the madness that entails from playing in places that would never normally host gigs - with all the regular venues taken up you have to get a bit creative! A few years back I was involved in running an all-dayer at the Black Dove in Kemp Town, which is a great bar but quite ‘intimate’ for a gig shall we say - Crows came down to headline the event and ended up literally swinging from the ceiling.
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Are there any bands playing that you would love to go and check out yourself?
Bleach Lab are big faves of mine who are tearing it up right now, as well as Collect Call who are hosting an alt escape show at Presuming Ed’s on the Thursday which you don’t want to miss.
You’ve started your own record label Change the F*cking Records, what made you start your own record label and what do you hope to achieve with it?
My original reasoning to start a label was as a vehicle for running my own regular night in Brighton where I could host some of my favourite local bands and give something back to the scene, which we’re doing with our ‘Stoned & Starving’ nights every last Friday of the month in the Brunswick cellar bar. I was heavily inspired by the Late Night Lingerie gigs that used to run at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar (RIP) that I would attend religiously when I first turned 18 and started going out in Brighton. We were lucky to have been able to perform there regularly with my old band Strange Cages and I remember how amazing it felt to be part of something that we knew was special at the time and will reminisce about forever. If I can be part of running anything that even comes close to resembling what that feeling was like for me making my first steps into the music scene, and potentially help other bands feel like a part of that then I’ll be immensely proud.
What can fans of ELLiS-D expect for the rest of 2022?
There’ll be plenty of new music to be released over the next few months that I’m dying to get out there, having just finished recording new material with our live guitarist/producer Maximilian we’ve been working since the turn of the year, on top of a bunch of shows we’ll be playing across the UK throughout the summer.
And lastly, what would be your three desert island discs?
Jubilee Street - Nick Cave
I’d Rather Go Blind - Etta James
Ride A White Swan - T Rex
Hi ELLiS-D, first of all, thank you so much for joining us, it’s a pleasure to have you with us. How has your week been so far?
Thank you for having me! It’s been a hectic one so far, we had a great show supporting noise-rock heroes Pit Pony on the Brighton date of their UK tour on Tuesday in between a bunch of rehearsals working on new material. I also found plenty of time though to get acquainted with my parent's new puppy ‘Penny’ that they adopted last week (who’s a double doodle by the way, in case you were wondering. The dog that is.)
For anyone unfamiliar with your music, how would you describe it for people looking to get into your music?
I guess I’d describe it as a mixture of psychedelia and kraut-rock infused indie, to use a few buzzwords. I put a lot of emphasis on building songs from the ground up, messing around on a drum kit for a while before layering melodies over an initial rhythm pattern. I find it a lot easier to map out structures on drums whilst imagining a melody in my head, and so the drums are very much at the forefront of my music.
You’re from and live in Brighton, what do you think about your hometown? Does it play a part in inspiring your music at all?
Absolutely. I think to a certain extent the nature of one's surroundings will always be reflected in their art regardless of where you are, but certainly, Brighton is a consistent source of inspiration as it’s brimming with creativity throughout the city. I’ve been privileged being able to grow up here, and although it would certainly be great to explore other parts of the world at some point, for what I’m doing right now Brighton is an ideal place to be.