“If You’re Gone” by Soul Glitch
In my opinion, the interpretation of cover songs should be detached from the original to achieve an independent artistic touch. Only when this goal has been achieved are you usually satisfied with the result, and the version stays with you for a long time.
“If You’re Gone” by Soul Glitch is a great example of this,
a cover that has been successfully realised in an excellent way. On one hand, a certain closeness to the original song is maintained, while on the other, a distancing is achieved, creating a nostalgic mood that also captures the spirit of the times. With “If You’re Gone” (by Matchbox Twenty), Nicholas Hasty, alias Soul Glitch, succeeds in building a mental bridge to the past, bringing back to life the time when the original was first heard. You think back and lose yourself for a few moments in the thoughts of the past.
The atmosphere created, reminiscent of the 1980s, is achieved through the warm synthwave touch, transporting the listener to another time. The vocals are designed in a way that corresponds to the aesthetics of the 80s, once again emphasising the mood set by the synths.
“If You’re Gone” by Soul Glitch is so well done that it could easily have been the original from the 80s, which Matchbox Twenty would have covered at the time.
Q&A
Who is the person behind the artist Soul Glitch and how did you get into music?
My name is Nicholas Hasty and Soul Glitch is my project that has been incubating from decades of obsessing about music technology in conjunction with my classical and jazz musical education.
My interest in music started very early with piano lessons at 6 years old and drums at 8. My love of the saxophone blossomed in my 6th grade band class and became the vehicle for my artistic expression, and to this day the sax is my primary instrument. Throughout my time in school, I always loved learning how to play pretty much any wind instrument I could get my hands on. Over the years I also became proficient with flute, clarinet, trumpet, and french horn.
When I was a freshman in high school, my band teacher introduced me to the music of Michael Brecker, an accomplished saxophonist, and his use of the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument). Brecker remains my biggest inspiration as a saxophone player while also inspiring me to stretch musical boundaries into the realm of musical technology.
What are some of the main influences that shape your music?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what my main influences are because I’ve had such a vast exposure to different kinds of music. At home, I grew up listening to a variety of music. Some days I’d be hearing Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and then next day I’d hear Miles Davis or John Coltrane, along side The Beatles, on my parent’s record player. Then I’d go to my friends house and listen to Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders or Phil Collins.
I think being a child in the 80s was a fascinating time to have one’s taste in music shaped as this was the birthing period of electronic music, with groups like the Eurythmics and Level 42. In the 90s when home computers became more and more accessible, it opened a portal for individuals to create electronic music on their own. The ability to produce and experiment with music was the single greatest advancement to independent music production.
I remember a very pivotal moment in my life, during the summer before I started high school, when I built my very on home computer with the help of my father. Years before Ableton Live or Logic existed and Pro Tools was only used in professional studios, I remember using the only software available at the time to compose sheet music through MIDI and very early versions of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). One of the first programs I got at a computer show was called “Techno Music Maker.” It was a very simple music editing program where you could use loops and arrange everything on a timeline. This gave me a taste of how much fun and what it would be like to create electronic music. This kind of music composition and audio editing at such a young age in conjunction with my classical and jazz training, gave me a well rounded and unique set of tools and skills. It afforded me the opportunities to experiment with music creation in ways that I’ve carried throughout my life.
"If You're Gone" sounds fantastic, what's the story behind the track?
The inspiration and drive to produce this cover of ”If You’re Gone” by Matchbox Twenty comes from my afternoons after high school, sitting in my best friend's garage helping him fold newspapers for his paper route, geeking out about mountain bikes, and of course, listening to our local radio station 94.5 KWINE. I must have heard this song at least once or twice every day during this time in my life.
“If You’re Gone” brings me back to this earlier time in my life which I so fondly remember. Producing and singing this cover in a way that keeps the vocals as close to the original as possible while putting my own musical style under these lyrics, has been a vitalizing and nostalgic experience to say the least.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how would you describe your creative process in general?
Inspiration comes very easy to me. It comes so easy, in fact, that the challenge I face the most is following through to the point where the song is finished and ready to be released. My approach to achieve this has evolved over the last few years. Creating a song tends to be a two part process for me.
In the first part, I create a very basic track which is usually a combination of samples and beats. I’ll play around with chord changes and at the very least make a definable verse section and a chorus section. Before I even think about diving any further into the production, I write the lyrics to the song. Sometimes I can do this over the weekend, if I’m lucky, but often I’ll obsess over the lyrics for a few days and then need to take a step back to let it brew for a little while. If I’m stuck on certain parts of the lyrics, like I can’t find a clever metaphor or rhyme I need to have in a line, I put the song aside and come back to it. Ideally I try to wrap up this stage as quickly as I can. I usually tend to end up writing 2 or 3 songs like this, then I’ll choose one of them that I like the most and move on to the production and recording. When I’m on this second part of production and recording, I’ll dive deep into the production and get the song as far along as I can. When I feel like the song is getting somewhat close to the feel and the sound I’m going for, I’ll start the process of recording my vocals and saxophone and any other wind instruments I’m putting on the track. I started doing it this way just in the last couple years because when the song is really flushed out and evolved into the sound that it becomes, it’s a much different feeling recording vocals this way in contrast to recording vocals to the basic demo version. I usually feel much more inspired recording my vocals when the track is much further along.
Next, I do all of the comping and processing needed then go back into the production and make a number of minor changes. For example, taking certain elements out or replacing sounds here and there in order to smooth out the song. These minor changes allow me to more finely sculpt the shape of the track to ensure the arrangement has an energetic flow that I really like. It is at this point that I prepare the song for my mixing engineer. Once I get here, I always feel a sense or relief and accomplishment because it takes a lot of resiliency to get to this point.
How do you decide when a song is ready to be released?
My song feels ready for release when I feel I’ve done everything in the production to have a cohesive flow; when I can listen through the song at least a few times without anything catching my attention that I feel needs to change. The last steps of my song creation force me to really be honest with myself. If I listen to the track over and over and that one part just keeps bugging me, I know I need to just go ahead and do something about it. I know if I don’t, it’s going to make me cringe every time I hear the final track, hahaha.
Then of course, working with my mixing engineer is the final step. It’s very important to make sure I’m happy with the mix while also at the same time being very open to the way he has mixed it because it always sounds quite a bit different. It’s always a little jarring to hear the song in a different way when you’ve been working on it for dozens and dozens of hours and are use to hearing it in a very particular way. It really helps for me to listen to the mixed version over and over and really take it in. I have a great working relationship with my mixing engineer and luckily I live close enough to go to this studio and finalize the mix with him.
What do you think about the role and influence of social media in the music industry?
I don’t think that anybody can deny that social media has, in so many ways, changed the music industry. Of course, this is a very nuanced issue and while I think it’s quite a stretch to say “it’s leveled the playing field,” it has created a landscape in which many more artists can be independently successful without needing to be propped up by a major record label, or any label for that matter.
How do you manage the time-consuming aspect of being an indie artist?
To be totally honest, not very well hahaha. This is probably by far my biggest challenge and the one thing I strive to get just a little bit better at. I’m always setting goals and timelines for myself that I’m constantly struggling to meet. There are so many moving parts to being an independent artist and It’s challenging for me to transition from one to the other.
The one strategy that I’m practicing is to structure my days and weeks in ways that I’m able to focus on whatever goal I have. Whatever hat I’m wearing (producer, performer, solo videographer, editor, content creator) I do my best to plan out my workflow in a way where I’m not bouncing around among all of these elements. It tends to kill momentum when I have to go from one headspace to another.
Again, this is an aspect of my music career I continue to strive to become more proficient in. However, looking back over the last couple years, I’ve certainly been getting better and better over time. This year I’m actually prepared ahead of schedule for my song releases. I’m on track to release 5 to 6 songs compared to 4 songs I released in 2023, so that feels like a major improvement to me!
You are from San Francisco, it seems to be a good place for indie music, doesn't it?
The San Francisco Bay Area is a vibrant and robust music scene. I’ve lived and performed all around the San Francisco Bay Area for the better part of the last two decades, and I’ve played and toured with some truly amazing musicians and songwriters during this time. One of the things I love about living here is the cultural diversity and how that can shape and contribute to the artistic and musical communities. Some of my most significant inspiration is born out of my experiences performing, and collaborating with fellow indie artists.
Regardless of your genre preference, you can find it here. Whether it’s Rock, Funk, Hip Hop, Latin, Afro-cuban, EDM, House, Trance, or Electropop, you will find a multitude of amazingly talented artists writing, producing, and performing all of these styles in the many venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
What are some of the projects or plans you have in the near future?
Now that most of my music production for all of my releases this year is nearing completion, I am developing a 3D live visual set that will be part of my performance. This ambitious project will undoubtedly take a significant amount of time and energy. In order for me to make this project successful, it requires a deep dive into the skill set that I will need. I have to at some point step away from writing and producing to accomplish this. I believe this 3D visual addition will elevate my performance by introducing an epically visual experience for my audience. My goal is to bring this to fruition by the end of 2024, and hit the ground running in 2025 with a performance that will really blow people away.
NenesButler - Indie Music Blog
