From the sunny southern shores of Australia comes Surahn, a songwriter whose budding talents harken back to the silky-smooth rock of those good old hazy years: 1976-1984. Now situated in New York, Surahn counts Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean and Sade amongst his influences, and the music he’s making is somehow a perfect amalgam of them all: fulsome mid-tempo grooves that breathe a carefree warmth into everything they touch. Intricate yet easy, detailed but by no means difficult, Surahn’s music is a breath of fresh air at a time when basement productions are feeling more boxed-in than ever. It’s less “yacht rock” perhaps, than “solar ark.” But as we discovered (read below), if Surahn’s songs have an oceanic feel, it may be because they were written with a floating studio in mind.
Now, Surahn has readied a new music video for his latest single “Wanted to Fly,” and Okayplayer has the express pleasure of presenting the clip’s world premiere. Fueled by rat-a-tat keys and a muscular, roving bassline, the song is a kind of kaleidoscopic dream, and the new visuals are a perfect match. We took a little time to get to know Surahn, and learned all about his vintage guitars, his collaborations with Usher and Kimbra and his upcoming Into the Distance LP, which is due out in early 2016.
Okayplayer: Who is Surahn? Please introduce yourself to the people of earth–what are your government name(s)? where did you grow up? Zodiac sign, favorite ice cream, first pet?
Surahn: I am Surahn. I come in peace. The name Surahn is a play on a Punjabi word meaning “light from the sun.” I grew up in South Australia, in a city called Adelaide and spent lots of time in the country amongst vineyards or coastal wheat crops. I’ve spent the last 10 years travelling the planet, often doing laps of it at warp speed. I have had my own toothbrush in NYC for about 7 years now. I reside in The Coorong, in a small beach house I built a couple of years ago. It’s a remote protected coastal dune system where the ancient Murray River meets the Sea. Teeming with life and power. My favorite ice cream is honey and I’m a Libran. My first pet was a duck and it won first prize in a local fair.
Okayplayer: Your sound definitely seems to be coming from another era, another mindset, another…latitude. What inspires your work, and who are some artists or groups you take cues from?
SN: I was lucky enough to be played Thriller at the age of 4. I remember it clear as day. I pressed play on my brother’s walkman and the first snares of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” came in. I squeezed the orange foam headphone buds into my ear holes and closed my eyes. I feel like that moment had a profound effect me. I think I made the choice then to become a musician. I spent the rest of my childhood, teens and young adulthood learning instruments and contemplating production. I built a listening chair in my bedroom when I was about 13 and placed the old hi-fi speakers on bedside tables at head height so I could listen to Aja, Dark Side Of The Moon, Thrust, Crime Of The Century and loads of classic albums in detail. Studying panning, synth tones, drum sounds, vocal tracking etc.
It was a pretty wild time in my room back then! As time went on I realised that what informs me as an artist is actually life itself, not just the music I have used as a blanket my whole life. I find taking time out to interact with the people I love and the world around me makes me pay far greater attention to true harmony. I believe the universe has an infinite amount of inspiration in the harmony it shows us every day, so writer’s block is not something I really get down with. Musically I take cues from classic soft rock and soul like Steely Dan, MJ, Roy Ayers, Marvin Gaye, Fleetwood Mac and more modern guys like Sade, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean and Toro Y Moi.
I grew up in clubs and was exposed to loads of NYC and Detroit house and disco. Nicky Siano signed the inside of my pencil case when I snuck into a club in high school. That whole Moodyman, Theo Parish, Arthur Russell, KONK club fusion sound speaks to me in volumes too. Literally I was slow to finish books as a kid, but it was Herman Hesse and Oscar Wilde that made my mind pop with words. I love commentary on interaction and observation of the heart and mind as one.
Okayplayer: It’s refreshing to hear so many live, acoustic instruments on your track at a time when bedroom-produced tracks chock full of beats and synths have become quotidian. Describe your typical songwriting and recording process for us? How’d you get your guitar lines to time travel here from 1976?
>>>Click Thru to Watch “Wanted To Fly” Video Premiere
The post First Look Friday: Surahn Takes A Groovy Space Trip On “Wanted To Fly” [Video Premiere] appeared first on Okayplayer.
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