I had the opportunity to chat with Seramic and find out more about his current musical project, why he chooses to go the extra mile and create artistic, dynamic visuals for his tracks, how he found his experience performing over in the States and much more…
The Indiependent: When did you first start your current project under the Seramic name?
I guess I started a couple of years ago. I was working in LA collaborating with friends, sampling my own vocals, programming drum loops and completely changing the way I worked as an artist, which has now become essential for this project.
The Indiependent: What was the inspiration behind the choice of name?
I was making ceramics when this project was forming and I guess it’s the oldest form of making and building. With a ‘S’ it looks and sounds futuristic. I just liked the sound of the word and it made sense with the music, coming from an old traditional place but forward thinking.
The Indiependent: I Got You is your second EP, how do you feel your style and sound has evolved from Found?
Making the I Got You EP was very much about experimentation and running away with ideas to see how far they could go before we make the record. There are some crazier elements in there. I guess the great thing about Seramic is that it seems like there are no boundaries as to where it could go, so it feels like it’s constantly evolving which is nice.
The Indiependent: What is your personal highlight from the I Got You EP, and why?
Having Bootsy Collins into the music and feature on the EP is more than a dream come true. He was one of my heroes growing up (Bootsy has worked with the likes of James Brown in his career, and was also a part of Parliament-Funkadelic), and I nearly died when I first heard what he did for the song; he made it so special.
The Indiependent: You performed with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon’s famous late night television show which airs in The States – how did you end up with the opportunity to perform there, and how did you find it?
I was just so lucky. It was one of the best nights of my life. Playing with those guys was like being on a whole other level.
The Indiependent: The video for track ‘Same Mistakes’ has a bold visual with some incredible dancing in an exotic Hong Kong environment – why do you like to create exciting videos for your songs, and set them in foreign settings?
I am really getting into making films – I come from an artistic background and want to make the visuals as exciting as the music. I also plan to put them all together and make a big immersive installation. I have often used sports objects in my sculptures, and for this EP I have really enjoyed combining elements of sports with dancing in kind of a magical, realist way, with elements of the surreal. Travelling has always been important in my work and I want to continue to make strange and beautiful films in unfamiliar landscapes.
The Indiependent: Are there any artists who inspire the sounds which you create?
Prince, Sly and the Family Stone, D’Angelo, Greg Perry and many more.
The Indiependent: In the summer you have a string of festival dates, including appearances at Barn on the Farm and Latitude, which will naturally be keeping you busy, but after the summer what are your plans for recording your next music?
You’ll just have to wait and see!
As mentioned above I Got You has just been released, and you can stream/download it from several places, including iTunes and Spotify. Seramic has worked hard to craft six tracks which fit together so perfectly and have a deep soulful funk but very modern feel to them, so definitely spare a few minutes and check his work out!
Words by Georgia Stephenson