“My personal definition of success is happiness and the feeling of accomplishment. My ultimate personal and professional goal is to be able to interact with the public and give to a fan base who appreciates the art I create.” -Elliot Telford
Listen to the show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/09/10/episode-255-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax
GETTING TO KNOW ELLIOT TELFORD
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
I was introduced to music…
in third grade when I started to play the clarinet. I was also completely obsessed with the Power Rangers theme song when I was about 5 years old. I started producing electronic music after college and I just have not stopped doing it since that day. About a year ago, I bought Ableton and it is definitely my favorite software program of all time.
When I was 18…
I scored a rugby try, also called a touchdown, at the National High School Championship. I was actually the 16th player during that game, while only 15 people are playing on the field at a time in rugby, and I scored the only try against a team called Highlands in the entire year. I was pretty proud of myself. This great success was the result of a lot of hard work, training, sprinting and practicing.
My personal definition of success is…
happiness and the feeling of accomplishment.
My ultimate personal and professional goal is…
to be able to interact with the public and give to a fan base who appreciates the art I create.
In order to move forward towards my goal, I challenge myself by…
1) Being Independent.
2) Finding something new to work at and learn every day.
3) Looking for people that share the same passions as I do.
I continue to challenge myself by…
juggling constant production with marketing while trying to get exposure and having a full-time job as a yoga teacher. I recently traveled to Asia to see what the poverty in the world was like and that trip was a really big challenge for me. India was great though! Also, I am now trying to get into a band, but I hope I can find some time for it. I am constantly trying to improve my software, editing, layering and mixing skills and I am really working hard on my music at all time. I love to challenge myself.
Sacramento California is…
where I create music and also where I teach yoga that also tends to always be music related. I spent a lot of my time outdoors, doing yoga and climbing mountains. I just finished a hiatus in Southeast Asia that lasted for six months. In Sacramento the music scene is pretty great. There are many metal and live bands, but there is a good sprinkling of electronic music artists in the area. I love live music, but I personally prefer electronically based instruments.
Greed is…
what I am most afraid of. I think the majority of the biggest problems occurring in the world right now can be summed up with that word. That is one of the reasons why all my music is free.
Mindfield is…
my latest track, which is a glitch-hop song that mostly focuses on bass. It creates a dreamy and atmospheric feel that catapults the listener into dancing. It actually involves a lot of sampling of vocals and other voices as well as a lot of low-end synthesis work, which was done mostly in my bedroom. This song is very unique and I enjoy listening to it quite a bit.
https://soundcloud.com/elliottelford/mindfield-original-mix-1
My newest album…
focuses mainly on the human race and our future. My goal is to make each song a story in and of itself, something that really allows people to internalize the feelings that the music brings to them. I am pretty excited about it and this album will feature a lot of my friends playing live, samplings from the environment and other really neat sound design artifacts. I am releasing new music all the time. This fall has a special significance because I am going to start playing live in Sacramento and around California and my newly released album is going to be a big part of that. The idea is to get exposed to younger audiences in order to be able to play near people that want to listen to glitchy and “dubsteppy” bass music.
Marketing is…
probably the most important thing for artists. The vibe that artists create is really what people want when attending a show or listening to a song. Since the public wants a feeling, marketing is a huge part of creating that initial feeling and initial impression for consumers. Since my brand is all about me, I think I am unique enough to sell myself! Additionally, I did sales and marketing for awhile in America and I discovered that I am really good at it!
The whole music industry seems like…
a big marketing clusterfuck to me. It is rough for the music consumers out there, even though most of the music available is free. Good record labels are changing that and are starting to make music more exclusive. Therefore, there is a lot of drama happening around the subject. Even though I understand that marketing is almost more important than the music in some ways, I kind of just want to make music. I mostly keep my head down and try to focus only on my music, rather than focusing on negative vibes, which can be omnipresent when you start out. For example, collaborating with other artists can be more of a distraction sometimes than a worthwhile learning experience.
I like to release singles…
more than releasing albums even though I do both. Sometimes, ideas in multiple songs are cohesive and make a great album. It is also the case when a studio sponsors an album, since the various ideas all make sense together. My singles and albums are all available on Spotify.
My creative process is…
100% digital and is made entirely with Ableton Live, which I am supremely happy about. Ableton is such an amazing software. Occasionally I use a hardware synth to create my music, but I usually use Ableton Live and my Laptop.
I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
Skrillex to talk about the positive and negative aspects of fame as well as the popularity of his music. His situation is just so interesting to me.
The cool thing about being current is…
that old ideas always become trendy again. It is one of those awesome things about art that old ideas can be revitalized for the new age. I have tried to adapt myself to the new trends with my french house tracks like “Kick-it” and “Insanity”. Even though they have a classic vibe, they were updated with modern techniques.
I love Instagram…
but I wish it was easier to share my music through it, especially because it is all free. Social media is great though!
Elliot Telford Social Media Links: