Interview: Cleopold
LA-based Aussie singer-songwriter Cleopold has been going from strength to strength in recent months. After touring all over Australia with his good friend Chet Faker in late 2015, Cleopold got stuck into working on his debut EP ‘Altitude & Oxygen’. With the EP having dropped in June, he’s back in Australia ready to bring the live show to you at a string of dates across the country. We sat down for a chat about musical influences, travelling and what kept him in his bedroom in LA.
The Space Between features some really fun and funky sounds with the cool synth work, and the awesome percussion. What were some of the musical influences that you were drawing on when you were producing this track?
Actually I worked with two producers, they have their own thing going on, they’re called Bag Raiders, and I worked with them on that track and all the tracks on the EP. That one we did on a pretty quick turn around and they were a big part of the instrumental side of the track. So they really took charge with the beat and I just did the singing. I mean we wrote together, I was in the room with them, and we all sort of played a little bit on the tracks.
We were listening to Todd Terje and stuff like that. The idea was that we were trying to make a track that was a bit quicker for the live set, cause all of my songs are a bit slower. I feel like faster music is easier to crossover in a live gig. We wanted to try something a little more faster for the live set.
What made Not Coming Down stand out for you as a single from the EP?
Not Coming Down was the third single. Down in Flames was first, then Scarlet then Not Coming Down. Last night on the radio The Space Between got played, on the J’s, and it also got flogged on KCRW in the States. So I feel like that should have been the single, to be honest, ‘cause it’s getting more attention than the first track on the EP.
I guess Down In Flames is a stand out for me because it was the first song I made and it was the one that set the tone for the EP.
How have you found that being in LA has changed the way you approach writing music?
It’s really different in the sense that I feel like no matter where I’m based, as long as I;m in a different location every now and then – every six to twelve months – that really helps. I spent about two months in Cleveland Ohio, and I was writing there. That’s where I went to write some of the EP, when I needed a break from LA, because LA’s awesome. It’s sunny and pleasant to be around and it’s pretty good for writing, in the sense that if you can find the right headspace its pretty cool. But you can also get caught up in the hussle and the social side of things in LA. It’s easy to go out and party, if that’s what you want, so if you go and do that you won’t get any work done. But if you can find that balance of lifestyle and work, it’s a really special place.
I went to Cleveland because I wanted to be somewhere else. I went to NY a lot as well, and I found that I would come up with different ideas for the EP while I’m on the go or in different places. That travelling really helps for me when I’m coming up with ideas.
You recorded a lot of the EP in your bedroom, do you think that you were more free to explore musically than if you were in a studio?
No, to be honest, the only reason I had no studio and I was working in my bedroom was because I couldn’t afford anything else. I always wanted to have a studio, and I still want one now and I can’t afford it; they’re not something that’s easy to get. I had one, on and off, but it’s a real luxury to have a space outside of where you live, unless you want to go work with headphones.
That’s why I kind of travelled a lot. I went to Cleveland because there was a house that I had access to. There was this big old empty house, so I was like “perfect”, I’ll set up shop there. So that felt like a studio, being able to go to places where I had access.
I guess its sort of a good place to switch off, in your bedroom. It’s not a bad thing. It’s true, you sit on the computer for eight hours just working on ideas and singing. It’s comfortable. I hate the idea of someone hearing me singing the same line over and over again, trying out different things. It’s good working at home. I was working on the lyrics and singing at home and I would go to the studio with the Bag Raiders, and I would work on the development of the beats and the production with them in their space, which was a real step up from my bedroom set up with a laptop and a microphone.
What did you take away from working with massive artists like Chet Faker on the tour as well as being signed to his label, and from Bag Raiders in the studio?
To be honest, [Chet’s] never seemed like big name artist to me, because I’ve known him since he was fifteen. So there was never really a shift in our relationship where I was like “woah, he’s the king”, so that’s kind of cool. And I’m not saying I don’t see it now, because it’s ridiculous.
I remember when we went on that first tour and he invited me to play. I was so chuffed! What a privilege and opportunity, how kind of him to invite me on tour. I was like freaking out, and I remember I spewed in my mouth when I was addressing the crowd at the first gig. He stood on the side of the stage and watched the whole thing. Then he walks out on stage in his set and he was so confident and amazing and it was like “woah”. That’s what happens if you’re practicing and you’re passionate and you’re loving it; you’ll get really good at it. Friends of mine who play in successful bands; seeing them perform and live on stage, its amazing. It separates that friendship to the other side to the other, more professional side of the relationship.
But also Bag Raiders in the studio. I really like how they play their instruments and their performance. I really like the ideas they come up with to further develop and improve a beat or song that I’ve come up with. If I’ve gotten it up to as good as I can, then they’ll step it up, and that part makes you appreciate a fresh set of ears.
I have to be really trusting of who I take feedback from, because I feel like a lot of people will hear a demo and go “you should change this, or you should slow it down, or you should speed it up” and all that sh*t, and I don’t know who I should listen to, I should just be doing it myself, but their feedback is right. So the best way to make the right decisions and keep moving forward is by trusting certain people to help me with that extra step, and develop what I’ve always got. That’s why I choose Jack and Chris [Bag Raiders], and why I choose Nick [Chet], I trust those guys a lot.
What can fans expect when you bring these songs to the live performances?
It’s really cool, it’s much louder and it’s more exciting. We’ve got a live drummer, because I always try to play with a live drummer. I’ve got my friend Louis playing keys in Sydney and Melbourne and he’s the best. I used to play in a bad with him in LA. It was a three piece and he adds a whole lot of energy and we play well together.
Check out Down In Flames, and the tour dates below!
