Solari On the Making Of “Hard Town”
Can you share any interesting or unique musical elements or production techniques used in this release "Hard Town?”
“Hard Town” was inspired by songs of the 1980s. We used analog synthesizers appropriate for that era. The hits in Hard Town are made on a Roland Jupiter 4 - same synthesizer used on Thomas Dolby’s “Blinded Me With Science” and Duran Duran’s Rio. The drum machine is Linn, the sound of electronic hits of the 1980s. The mixing is hybrid 1980s and modern. We did work on Pro Tools but mastered it to Nagra 4s analog tape so there’s the sound of 1970s tape on there. I didn’t have an 80s tape machine.
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for "Hard Town?”
The composition was straightforward. It was meant to be a hypnotic track against soft vocals: semi-inspired by the Pet Shop Boys and others of that genre. We sing in octaves giving the melody a broad range.
The synthesizers are all era correct. The guitars, by Kevin Kadish, are also inspired by the 1980s - with chorus and all that fun stuff they used to use.
How does this single fit into your overall artistic vision and what can listeners expect from you in the future?
We are a synthesizer band so using synthesizers is our main mission: particularly vintage synthesizers. We don’t use plugin synths except when absolutely necessary (a sample we don’t have, etc). There will be more pop synthesizer music from us in the future. Lots of analog!
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
The vast amounts of money. Honestly, I grew up around professional music so I didn’t know anything else. Also: I would be a terrible dentist.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a musician, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I face is motivation to be an artist myself. I work on a lot of records as a producer and many of the artists I work with are very successful. It’s hard not to compare yourself. I decided it’s more important to do music you love. You win if you do what you love.