London-based songwriter-producer Sky_A has released new track, Walker, from his forthcoming debut album. We asked the BIG questions . . .
Speaking about the song, Sky says, "It's an angry piece of music. Like, anti-imperial levels of anger. It’s about having been lied to, having participated in awful things on a huge scale, and becoming aware, resolving to undo the damage that has been done.
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"It’s a bit like a war march, sonically. I like it being called Walker, I hear the rhythm as a kind of limping gait, wounded but resolute. There’s a lot more to it than that - every song on the album is a scene, and the sounds are characters - which won’t make much sense out of context, but it comes at a decisive point, it’s the squaring up to the challenge ahead, it’s about seeing the horror and brutality in the world and not looking away."
Sky has synaesthesia and seeks to share with listeners his own experience of music as something deep and immersive, comprised of shapes, colours and textures.
Working professionally as a filmmaker and motion graphics artist, he also brings a strong visual element to this project, with a focus on long-form storytelling and beautiful, hypnotic abstract visuals.
Describing the impact of his perception, and his work in visuals on his music, he explains: "This is world-building for me. There is a big story to be told. Each track is a scene, and as far as possible I have instruments representing characters.
"It's my Swan Lake. I'll shut my eyes and see these elements like a rolling landscape - sometimes its serene and beatific, and sometimes it's like barbed wire and collapsed concrete buildings. That's what I want a listener to see when they hear this."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
My favourite colour is purple. I like rock climbing. I've played chess with a grandmaster (he was blindfolded, I lost).
How would you describe your music?
Big, cinematic, hyperactive music for people who drink too much coffee.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Too many to list but some big ones - Tool, Radiohead, The Mars Volta.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
INME at the Astoria in London.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Robert Miles - Dreamland.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Jumping Coffin by Aesop Rock. Such a bop.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Soppy one but, Oceansize, Music for a Nurse: "And if I display just a fraction of the soul you showed in this world, Then I know I'll see you again."
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find me on Spotify as Sky_A, or on Instagram: @skya.sound.
Alan Corr
