Blindness & Light is a solo artist. He collaborates with musician friends as required. This collective is expanding with time as interest grows. All his tracks are produced by Tony Denmade at his Warrington studio, although recording always begins with demos on Anglesey. The Tannhäuser Gate was released on the Winter Solstice as a Blindness & Light homage to a lifelong love of dystopian sci-fi, be it books or movies. The track drifts into the swirling, ethereal world of dream pop and shoegazing. Guitars and male vocals are real (himself!); the rest is a live session in Ableton Live.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Blindness & Light, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hi Kamil, great to be here. I’ve put a lot of thought to this question and I get nowhere. I can only conclude that I’ve always been into music and the magic of creating it myself seemed to be an obvious and natural step. I played guitar in front of 200 doting parents in the school hall at the age of 9. I think that nerve-racking event switched me on for life! I survived and wanted more.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
John Cale would be my first choice of a known star. He is a musical icon and somehow flies under the radar a lot of the time. To my mind, he’s the most influential musician in Welsh history. The Velvet Underground would’ve been like a universe without stars if John Cale was not their creative powerhouse. As a producer, how he managed to extract songs out of the Happy Mondays, on their first album, is an amazing feat in itself…but he did it and created a unique point in musical history. Producers amaze me in the way that they sculpture a song into its final form from often quite loose beginnings.
Dreaming aside, I do collaborate with people I respect and like anyway. I can choose who I work with. For example, the next two singles have a few guest artists. The Old Skylight, has Helen Reynolds on back vocals and Helena Doughty providing the brass section. The Ballad of Them and Us has Henry Priestman featured on harmonica. Also, Rob G is working on harmonium for the final track of the album. Blindness and Light has quickly developed from a solo project into an informal collective.
Your latest song is 'The Tannhäuser Gate'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
The Tannhäuser Gate is the first track I’ve written which wasn’t created on acoustic guitar. I took a leaf out of the dj handbook and stacked up a load of samples I liked in Ableton and recorded a live session. That was the foundation and then the rest was layered on top. It certainly convinced me that that this is a valid instrument in its own right. The output is quite different to my other tracks. I released it as an experiment to see what the reaction would be like and it’s been great so far. I defied advice and did it anyway That’s the beauty of being truly independent.
How do you know when a work is finished?
Producer, Tony Denmade, and myself pass finished versions between ourselves endlessly looking for snags and ways to improve the sound. I have a few gurus who I enlist as critics. These include Mike Juvenile from KEEF, Henry Priestman (The Yachts, It’s Immaterial etc etc etc) and even Paul Simpson (The Wild Swans, The Teardrop Explodes). There are a few up-and-coming likeminded bands (Holy Coves, Any Colour You Like) that I can chat to about stuff so that’s always good to do as a solo artist. Junior Dayvis and my brother Philip are always on call for a pint and a muso-chat. In the end, I have to call it a day when the fine detail is as good as we can get it.
What are you most proud of?
Ahhhh, that’s an impossible question, Kamil! I think it changes on an hourly basis. My partner’s novels (Anathea N. Krrill), my fantastic daughter (Elise), my dynamic 90 year old dad……take your pick! I’m sure at some point Elise will add her musical talent to future tracks.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
Releasing singles is easier than ever, so it seems that everyone is doing it. This freedom is great but it does make it harder than it’s ever been to rise above the background noise and actually be heard.
How do you structure your day?
I tend to work about 12 hours a day on music. This can be anything from playing guitar and singing, writing lyrics, recording, mastering and promo stuff.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I love sci-fi novels and films. That is the theme of The Tannhäuser Gate after all. I run, I swim in the sea. The Irish Sea is guest artist at the end of my first album, which will be released this Summer. Music is not a separate compartment of my life, the whole thing is intrinsically intertwined. Indie blood will course through my veins every second that I’m alive.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
No time for that, too bothered about the energy bills.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ll just keep recording tracks at my pace. It’s been a crazy, full-on year and I hope it continues. I’d love a record deal, if just to off load the social media side and concentrate purely on music. The recording for my inaugural album is 95% complete. This will be released in May or June this year. Let see how it goes. Thanks Kamil.