Ewol Interview

Ewol, hailing from Australia, has had some huge releases on Plasma Audio, Flexout Audio, Lifestyle UK, Dispatch Recordings, Overview Music, Kinetik, and Principle.

Ewol drops back into the Plasma lab with a 4 track EP titled ‘Cyrus' continuing his excursions into deep, rolling atmospheric drum and bass - aligning with sounds Plasma laid as its foundations. This follows up 3 releases with Plasma over the past couple of years as the label and Ewol seem to have a mutual understanding and musical direction.

‘Cyrus EP’ includes 3 original tracks. Plus, collaboration with Nami on the track titled ‘Enemy Is The Timeline’.

Ewol is solidifying his skill as a producer with this EP, due for release late July to early august 2019. Excitement is building around his career ahead!

We thought it would be a good idea to ask him in for a chat to see what makes him tick. I am happy to add that he agreed.

Hello. Thank you for taking the time out to talk with me.

How has 2019 been treating you so far?

Good mate! Was lucky enough to play over in NZ and LA at the start of the year which was a fun experience, but I've been stuck into Uni the past few months which has been quite hectic.

Can you go way back and tell me a bit about the music you liked and listened to while growing up, and what first attracted you to drum and bass?

Growing up my father was in quite a well known Australian rock band so there was quite a heavy rock influence growing up. As I got into my teens I started listening to dubstep and house which introduced me to electronic music. Drum and bass was quite often on gaming videos that I watched so I started listening to it through that. I always remember drum and bass was so soulful compared to the other types of electronic I had been listening to at the time which really attracted me to it.

As for drum and bass being soulful, I couldn’t agree more.

Do you have a favourite drum and bass genre? If so, what are some of your favourite tracks within that genre?

My favourite genre would probably have to be liquid or the techy stuff. One of my all time favourite tracks would have to be ‘Netsky – Escape’ as it was the tune that really made me start liking drum and bass. It’s quite a poppy tune but the vocals are just so catchy. Another big one is ‘Commix - Painted Smile’.

Yes, ‘Netsky - Escape Featuring Darrison’ is a beautiful piece of liquid. I hadn’t heard ‘Commix - Painted Smile’ up until now. Thank you! It’s another great choice.

What made you want to produce your own tracks?

I started getting into DJing and my father tried get me to start producing as well but initially I didn't really enjoy it. Eventually I began having more fun with it once I worked out how to use Ableton better and it all kind of went from there.

You’ve had a few releases on Plasma, which is a huge label. Are you exited to be on their list of producers?

Yeah it's sick! I remember being a fan of the label for ages. It's also cool because it's an Australian label which helps our scene grow over this end of the world.

Great news! I would assume it’s a fantastic feeling landing on a label that you’ve loved for so long.

Your latest release on Plasma is pure quality! It’s filled with beautiful atmospherics, and provides a serene and tranquil feeling throughout!

Could you tell me a little about this EP, how long it took to write and what production techniques you use at the moment?

Some of the tracks have been around for ages! The collab with Nami was finished way back in 2017. The other ones are more recent though. Each song usually take a few days to get the base idea of the track down then after that it’s just a matter of tweaking and mixing until I'm happy with it.

At the moment I'm just using Ableton with a few standard plugins like Serum, Massive, Kontakt and Fm8. I've been practicing trying to play in melodies live as you can get more interesting grooves that you wouldn't normally get drawing it in.

Interesting! You sound very confident with using plugins, as I wouldn’t say Serum is a standard plugin. I would have a nightmare with it as it has some very deep wavetables!

What aspects of producing your own tracks do you love the most, and what keeps you going?

I like producing tracks that have real atmospheric vibes. Outside of the music I love how producing has allowed me to travel and meet lots of lifelong friends.

Real atmospheric vibes are the ones to have. They can bring on heightened emotions.

What do you find is the most challenging thing when making your music?

Probably bass lines and midranges! I always struggle to get something that sounds good and fits in the groove.

Which DJ’s and/or producers out there do you get your inspiration from?

Some big inspirations are the music squad lads, Skeptical, Halogenix, and Alix Perez. There’s also has been some sick stuff from some of the newer people like Visages, Sinic, Exept and Missin that has been quite fresh and inspiring.

Some top producers there! And it is good to hear the up and coming producers doing well and bringing something fresh the scene.

If you could collaborate on a track with anyone, apart from Nami, who would it be, and why?

There would be so many! I think Noisia, Mefjus and Alix Perez would be cool because of how much you could learn.

That would be a huge experience, and I’d love to hear the result of it!

To those that are new in the music industry, and may feel the struggle when starting to produce their own tracks, what advice would you give?

Network with other producers! Especially people that you feel are at a similar skill level to you as you probably share similar frustrations and can learn off each other. You can also help promote each other’s music. Also make sure at the end of the day you’re having fun with it, and make what you want to make.

Great advice!

Most producers start off as DJ’s. Did you?

Yeah, I got a DJ controller when I was like 14 or 15. I also tried experimenting a bit with Ableton Live a bit for DJing which was one of the reasons I started using it to produce.

I’ve just realised that you gave me the answer to this earlier when I asked; what made you want to produce your own tracks, but this info is a nice adage.

Do you prefer festivals or clubs, and do you think each have different energies?

It's hard to say! I think in Australia I prefer clubs for drum and bass but over in Europe the festivals are next level. I think they definitely have a different energy. I find clubs tend to attract the more hardcore fans of the genre, where as festivals have tended to have those who might not listen to drum and bass as much.

What are your goals for the rest of 2019? Can we look forward to any more releases from you?

Yeah I've got a couple things coming, A collab EP with Skylark for Dispatch, and I've also got something in the works with Overview.

That’s good to hear.

Ok, last but not least! What three things do you love most about your life at the moment?

My Family, Friends, and Music Squad!

Thank you for taking time to chat with me. I wish you all the best with your latest release. Is there anyone you would like to mention? Any shouts or thanks?

Big shout out to the Music squad gang, The Plasma crew and everyone who supports my music.

Buy ‘Ewol - Cyrus EP’

Check out releases from Ewol on Beatport and Juno

Follow Ewol:
Soundcloud / Facebook
Twitter / Instagram

Interview conducted and posted by Brenton Clerkin