MidSõlis is ...?
MidSõlis is a multi-genre music project from the UK. It's mainly me, Oscar, but I have a couple of friends that I collaborate with here and there which makes the process more fun and better. I like to incorporate all the music I like into my tracks, so I like experimenting with genre, because my favourite songs do that a lot.
I want to continue making songs where each sounds different from the previous one. I want my bodies of work to feel like a rollercoaster; every moment and experience is different. I had a conversation over the phone with some of my friends last year about what the name should be and I was obsessed with Mid90s at the time, so I wanted to incorporate that title into the name of the project ending up with MidSõlis.
Echo
"Echo" is my first statement as an independent artist. I want this to showcase my ability to make this pop, melodic stuff. I love making that, but with it, I’ve made other harder-hitting songs that contrast this perfectly, adding a perfect dynamic to the project”, says the artist.
Seine Debütsingle „Echo“ entstand aus einer sporadischen Schreibsession und erzählt eine intime, aber dennoch nachvollziehbare Geschichte unerwiderter Liebe. Es hat diese traurige Stimmung in seinen Harmonien, welche durch die Vocals noch verstärkt wird und steckt voller Metaphern und Symbolik, die zur Atmosphäre des Songs beitragen. So we have to say Achtung: a great debut with all elements to hit your heart, maybe your heart as well.
The Interview
Who inspired you to make music?
Twin Peaks, Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar, Jimi Hendrix, etc. All of these different artists and bands have inspired me in different ways. Twin Peaks self-produced their entire first album and they were still in high school.
Tyler has been super hands-on with all of his projects, including art work, merch and filming. Kendrick's message makes you strive to be better. And Jimi was incredibly influential despite not knowing any music theory. They motivate me to make new and better music and stay focussed
What or who inspired you to "Echo"?
Led Zeppelin's more acoustic side really inspired this song. Going to California is the sole reason I went out to buy a mandolin to make a part for this song.
The Rain Song is great too. That and Mac DeMarco's acoustic version of 'Cooking Up Something Good' really made me want to create unique guitar parts for this song
What is your creative process like?
I'm driven by what's around me. If it's cold and dark, my sessions will usually involve more mellow tunes. If it's sunny and hot, I'll be practicing more upbeat stuff.
The process either starts with me writing lyrics because of something deeply moving me or from playing around with my guitar. With this song specifically, I started playing the main guitar part while I was in my bed a couple of years ago and thought it sounded cool.
After a couple of weeks of playing it on repeat, I made a second guitar part that added to that and developed the lyrics on a cold day when I wasn't feeling the best.
When it came to recording, I used those lyrics just as a template. I wanted to change them to something more upfront, but my friends told me not to. And they were right, it worked just as it was
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Probably Kendrick Lamar. He ventures into so many different sounds and genres. A studio session with him would be so unpredictable in such a good way.
I think he would get me in a creative mood that I can't get into unless I'm in the right space with the right people.
What is the most useful talent you have? ...and the most useless talent?
Learning production and mixing for the last year has been the most beneficial thing for me. I've had songs stuck in my phone that I haven't been able to put out because they were badly recorded one-take demos, but now I can start putting out all the material I've had stuck in my phone voice memos as pro-level tracks.
My useless talent is being able to clap without my hands touching each other by just flapping my fingers up and down. I can re-sample it into a snare at some point though, so I guess it won't be useless in the future.
If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?
I was quite afraid of showing my ideas to people out of fear they would steal them and perform them better than I could. I wish I didn't do that. I have encountered people like that, but at the end of the day, it shouldn't discourage me from making and sharing more dope music.
If I have made one cool idea, I can make more. I shouldn't get stuck with one. I can grow and produce others
How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?
It has made people like me more open to different sounds and genres. It has made multi-genre artists more capable of making it in the industry.
They don't have to abide by the current trends and lose their originality and creativity as a result to meet margins. Acts like Tyler prove that.
It's also much easier to reach people with Instagram, Facebook, etc. But that has also created more competition and lowered people's attention spans.
What’s next for you?
I'm going to be releasing a few more singles while working on the album they all form part of.
The concept is there and most of the lyrics are written, so I will just be producing and mixing the tracks. I've also got some plans for performing these live, but I'll have to figure that out later down the road
