Feature: Uncommon Addiction Decodes “Setting The Night On Fire”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Setting The Night On Fire" and the story it tells?
“Setting The Night On Fire” is a musical representation of the feelings of anger and frustration after the loss of someone. The song was a way for me to explore feelings of the past. I felt a lot of anger and confusion in the world after the death of someone. I couldn’t understand how everyone continued like the world was the same. What could be more appropriate than lighting up the skies in fire to let everyone know that something had changed and that they should pay attention?
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for this track to life?
I produced the track which was a bit complicated as it was my project and I’m used to working for another artist. I aimed to be as objective as I could in dividing the artistic side from the production side to service the song the best I could. I also collaborated with Ula Wodarz at Zig Zag Studios as my recording engineer and Pablo Amador as a session musician. Ula was able to capture the sounds beautifully and Pablo brought a much-needed visceral energy to the song with the drum and bass playing. It was a great team to collaborate with and hopefully, we´ll work on more things in the future. Collaborating with both of them allowed me to bring the song to where I wanted it to be.
How do you feel this track represents your artistic identity?
This track allowed me to explore the boundaries of the genres I love. I love rock, electronic, and film music and I decided to move through the creation process with no regard for how the song should be. I wrote lyrics for it originally but felt like I could serve it better as an instrumental piece. Maybe one day I’ll release a vocal version of the track. This represents the whole that I embody through my influences and experiences. My love for both synths and guitars is present and the essence of my experiences is also there in the raw energy of the track.
What genres of music do you primarily focus on, and what draws you to those genres?
Rock music, electronic music, and film music have always played a part in my life. I fell in love with rock music at 12 years old when I also picked up a guitar for the first time. My love for electronic music came later, as I learned how it was made and how sound design worked I fell in love with the process. And finally, film music goes hand in hand with my love for film in general goes with my love for its music. Film has some fantastic composers that I admire such as Vangelis, Trent Reznor, Hans Zimmer, and Danny Elfman.
Are there any unconventional techniques you've experimented with that led to interesting results?
I explored using things I learned in electronic music and applying them to the guitar. I decided to layer a vast amount of guitar sounds processed in different ways, playing the same thing. I’ve done this several times with synths and I wanted to give the song that electronic texture but using a guitar instead. I also worked with an E-Bow, something that I was keen on exploring since I listened to the band Sigur Rós for the first time. It was such a fun experience and allowed me to give the song the exact texture I felt it needed below the main guitar sounds. At the end of the session, Pablo started scratching the bass strings and I thought it would be a great idea to record that and it ended up making the song.
