Baby Cries to Everyone Needs Love Paul Van Dyk Edm Face

Having gone on tour in the fall and at present playing at festivals and clubs across the nation, Tim Wu of Elephante is only getting things started. Stopping off in New York to play at Lavo, we got the chance to catch upwards with Tim most his newest single, "The In Between," the artistic process behind his music and what Elephante has in store for the balance of the twelvemonth.

EDM.com: As a beau Asian, I know information technology's pretty mutual that parents make you acquire piano or violin when you're younger. Was that the case for you, where y'all were kind of...non forced to learn, but they really wanted you to larn classical piano?

Elephante: Not forced, just yous got to go to lessons? Yeah. My mom was like, "You got to pick something!" and so I picked piano. I always liked music. I retrieve I was beingness a baby and wanted to quit and she said it was fine, I just have to finish the yr. So I finished the year and and then I started to relish it because I was able to play stuff I like. So I recall she accepted me with keeping going with it, merely that didn't piece of work likewise well because I'm doing it for a living so. But yous know, it's tough in the beginning. Information technology's really frustrating, but then when you lot become into it and you tin really make noises that yous like and enjoy what you lot're playing, then it becomes a lot of fun.

And then y'all taught yourself the guitar, why'd y'all want to acquire the guitar?

Honestly, it was probably to impress a daughter, like everything was in middle school. Just yeah, the kind of music I was listening to similar the Ruby-red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer, Incubus and that kind of stuff was what I was really into. And when I was learning piano covers, information technology was similar, "This doesn't sound correct and information technology doesn't feel right," so I just picked it upwards and tried to do it.

Then yous mentioned John Mayer, how many of his songs practice you know on the guitar? I know some of them are pretty hard.

Probably all of them. I mean at least the start three albums. Like if you gave me a guitar right at present, so I'd probably play like x or fifteen of them, but I definitely learned all of them. That was sort of how I learned how to play guitar, especially the acoustic guitar. I was simply learning John Mayer songs. I have all the tab books. He was my idol growing up so that was like the bible, but some of it is very hard. At that place are a couple of songs that I don't actually know how to play. I can't play them because my easily aren't large enough. Like "Neon" is really difficult. "Neon" is like crazy difficult!

Then what's your favorite John Mayer vocal?

I really like "In Repair" or "Gravity." I like "Why Georgia" besides. That one's really fun to play. He did a embrace of "Bold Every bit Love" that is a Jimi Hendrix song that I really have a tattoo of. That was what introduced me into the earth of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. It took me down the classic stone path.

So tattoos, what's i favorite that you accept?

That 1's really of import to me because of "Bold As Love." I take a tattoo of a tree on my dorsum. It's for Ann Arbor where I grew upwards and you know the nickname is tree city, so that reminds me of where I came from.

Are there whatever you're planning to get anytime shortly?

Mom, if you're reading this, no. But no, I don't know. Tattoos are like, for me, they take to be very personal and have to take a meaning and then I'thou always more often than not thinking near the next one. Whenever I take a bright idea, I'll probably get the adjacent one.

Did yous ever play in any bands in loftier school or college?

I did. They were all but sort of local encompass type stuff, merely I did mostly solo acoustic shows. I'd play open mics on the guitar and sing and stuff.

So you got a Harvard University degree in economic science, but yous also minored in music. Did any of those music classes assist towards Elephante'southward sound?

I don't think necessarily, like specifically and practically. There's no dubstep class. There was a lot of theory and performance. Information technology was very intellectual and it was fun, merely most of my fourth dimension that involved music, I was kind of on my own. I was managing the higher studio, I was going to Boston to intern and was just messing around and writing songs and playing guitar and doing all that on my own. The classes were basically a fun excuse to not take another class. Yeah, they were great, information technology was fun.

How'd you lot get into electronic trip the light fantastic toe music?

I liked a agglomeration of indie electronic stuff like Ratatat, Miike Snow and Passion Pit and it sort of evolved from there. You know when you lot're doing the singer-songwriter stuff, it was just me and a guitar and that'due south all what the song was and you lot have to build around that. And and so with EDM information technology was like all suddenly you could brand any audio in the universe that had e'er existed or hasn't even existed notwithstanding. You lot're like a kid in a candy shop. So I think information technology was perchance Skrillex or something. I heard "Scary Monsters" or some other dubstep song. I was like "How is this even possible, what is this noise? How does it work?" I recall I just downloaded Ableton and I was just doing it for fun for awhile. Then ane thing led to some other and information technology kind of turned into the main affair.

Looking back on it now, did yous ever think you'd be a DJ or did you think you were going to be an indie-rock artist?

If you told me when I was a child that I'd be a DJ, I'd exist similar what's DJing? But I don't know, to me it'south just a very natural evolution of the kind of music that I similar making. And I recall the lines are kind of blurring now. And you tin can't go into trying to be something from the past, right? So it'due south merely trying to observe your ain style and trying to follow the sounds and the music that you lot love and figure out how to do it.

Some people don't know, but why the name "Elephante?"

So "Elephante" is a reference to the phrase, "elephant in the room." I worked at a corporate job for a year and I hated it, and then the elephant in the room was that. I wanted to quit and just pursue music and give it a shot. And so it was about quitting that job and condign the Elephante in the room.

With the corporate job, you worked as a traveling consultant. The traveling sounds fun, the consulting not so much. How'd you juggle making music and the job earlier you quit?

Non very well, I wasn't very good at my job. Traveling sounds fun in theory, only you're realistically sitting inside of an office or hotel most of the time. I didn't accept a social life. Every fourth dimension I'd get habitation on the weekends I would only lock myself in the studio and work on music. I would try to leave piece of work early and say I'd finish stuff up overnight and just work on music in the hotel room. Towards the cease it got really bad, I installed Ableton on my work computer. The music was the one thing making me not go crazy. That was my light at the cease of the tunnel.

What was information technology similar making music full fourth dimension?

It was the all-time. Information technology still is the best. On the ane paw, it's like this weight has been lifted off my shoulders and all of a sudden I tin finally be the person I want to exist, only at the same time it's similar this panic that sets in, "Oh shit I don't have any money, this is a problem." I've definitely worked more hours and worked harder than when I had my actual job, but information technology was all in the pursuit of something I loved.

Was it hard to keep on track mean solar day to day to brand sure yous got some work washed?

For me, not really. Honestly, it's fun. It's what I wanted to do. You know about people get off piece of work and ask, "What are you going to exercise with your time?" Information technology's like, "Oh I'yard going to play video games or become to the bar, I'm gonna get work out," or any. Literally I was like, "I want to work on music." I wake up and get to practice exactly what I desire to practise all day and in that location'south that panic of, "Oh I gotta brand something happen for myself!" And that's constantly in your brain. Every day 11 AM to like ii AM, I'yard just battling it out.

And so you know you accept to make ends run across all this fourth dimension, did you always worry you weren't going to exist successful at some point?

Oh, every twenty-four hours. That'south sort of the paradox of being a young creative person. On the i manus, yous take to take the airs of "I'g gonna exist the biggest rock star in the earth," but then you lot as well have the insecurity of "Fuck maybe I'yard not good enough." And you kind of need both of those because you need the arrogance to go yous through the hard parts, only you also need the insecurity to brand sure you're working and getting better considering you're probably not that practiced yet. So yep, every day was a roller coaster of emotions and every solar day, "Well maybe I'chiliad non gonna make information technology" and the other one-half, "Nah fuck that you're the best."

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You know how it is, all the artists I talk to, whether information technology's in music or actors or whatever, it's always that "I don't know what I'g doing, oh I suck" or "Nah I'chiliad the shit." There's always that remainder and I find information technology so funny. Some people will overcompensate and be like "I'm the shit, I'm the all-time," only then I know dude y'all were crying to me about how bad this was and y'all didn't know if it was going to work. So, it'due south just funny.

I feel similar that's how all artists are and that'southward what helps them make their fine art really proficient.

Yeah, I really believe that no i is born making great music. It takes a lot of work and I think that's why talent is really kind of overrated. I don't call up talent is as important as sort of persistence. Every artist when y'all start off makes bad stuff for a long time and you lot have to be able to get through that and make bad stuff over and over once more until you lot start to make okay stuff and then y'all keep doing it and after years and years you lot're at thousands of hours working on your craft you're finally maybe kind of skillful. And then people meet y'all for the first time when you're pretty adept and they're like oh my god he's so talented. It's like, no. Maybe talent is like the ability to get to where he was, but it took them and then long and and so much piece of work to get at that place.

But for you, you released a debut album in 2016 and information technology's a really awesome and beautiful album. And so what was one song you really enjoyed making and why?

"Catching On." That day is still probably the most fun day I've ever had making music. So I started this kind of riff on my laptop at the time, it was like "da da da don da da da da don." I didn't really know what to do, that was all I had, like that was information technology. On my computer I had dozens and dozens of these random riffs and so I got together with Nevve, we were really at the Patch House in the Hollywood Hills so we were in this rented cool one-time mansion in the hills and they had a studio in the firm. She came over and hung out and I was playing them stuff and I played that and she was like, "Dude that was absurd, permit'south work on that." And when you're in the studio, this chemistry happens and nosotros started feeding off each other and this whole thing just came out in a few hours. I was like, "Dude this thing is perfect." It was like nosotros were both unconscious at the fourth dimension, it just spewed out and it was cute. Information technology was one of those things where I knew it was pretty cool, but I didn't know if it was going to be a single or how it'd do. I was working through just making music that I found heady instead of trying to make stuff I thought would be pop. That was i of those songs where I was like eh, I like it so we'll see what happens and, lo and behold, information technology turned into the biggest song off the EP.

Well that'south what you take to practice, you have to exercise stuff that you like, non necessarily popularity wise.

I've found that whenever y'all try to make something that'due south going to be popular, it'south not really that good. Simply whenever yous make stuff that is meaningful to y'all that's when it has a amend chance. Like the other song that did actually well off it was "Plans." Information technology was the aforementioned thing. The whole EP was washed and then I thought this was the last one and I was like, "Fuck information technology this i's for me. This is going to be the album cut and I'k only going to make it because I really similar it." And so that was the pb single on release day and that'southward probably the song I get the most reaction from fans. That vocal's so meaningful and once again,Brandyn and I made it equally an album cut and we were just doing it for fun.

What does "Plans" mean to yous then?

Brandyn is such a brilliant artist and it's just such a powerful message of, you probably know this as an Asian American, you're always taught to do things a certain way and you lot gotta follow this path and and then exercise this and do this and it's like, whether information technology's in your career or in love or anything to a certain extent, you do the best you can, but at the stop of the day you lot just kind of allow things happen. Let honey happen. Let, you know...you tin be similar I want things to happen a certain style, only that's probably not how it's going to piece of work out and learning to live with that and learning to embrace that sort of going with the catamenia.

And so when you're making music, where do yous get your inspiration from and what'south the creative process like?

That is a great question and the answer is, I don't know. I accept no thought where whatever of the ideas come from. That's 1 of the scary things virtually it because I'm afraid one twenty-four hour period I'll wake upwardly and it'll just be gone. And some days it's just not there. I'll be walking down the street and I'll, for some reason, start humming some random affair and then suddenly I'll be like, "Oh that's a good idea," and I'll record it on my telephone and I'll forget about it. And and then I'll go through it a week afterwards and get, "Oh that was cool" and so you become do that. Sometimes you're sitting in that location and you're like, "What do I do...I got aught." Only I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, a lot of different genres and I ever try to find stuff that I get excited most similar, "Oh fuck I wish I wrote that." Or sometimes I'll sing along to other songs and make upwards my own lyrics because I don't know the words and and then be similar, "Oh that'southward a cool line." Merely inspiration is a very funny affair. You just gotta put yourself in the right frame of mind and then hope that something happens. It's a very weird zen - think well-nigh not thinking just then you lot have to not call back nigh it, but then if y'all're thinking nearly not thinking then you lot're non really not thinking. Information technology'south like, alright, you gotta simply make what you recall is absurd, but and so if you think virtually what you're making, and then y'all're not really just letting it happen. It's weird, I don't know. The creativity god but sometimes blesses you. I remember that's the answer.

Yous say yous don't know the lyrics to some songs, what's ane that you actually mix-up upwardly?

I don't know whatever of the words to "Gucci Gang." I don't know if anyone does. What's another good 1 that I don't know? I don't know "Bad and Boujee" for certain. Or "All The Stars" is a good one, the new Kendrick and SZA song. I love that song, admittedly honey it, but don't know any of the lyrics to. So that's a good 1.

So you simply released a new unmarried, "The In Between" with Anjulie, what was the well-nigh fun part yous had in creating information technology?

The whole affair was fun. That was a really fun song. I think it was sort of seeing how this thought I had...I came upwards with the concept in a hotel room. It was almost this weird conflict or paradox of being on the road doing something I love, merely and so even so existence super lonely. And so taking that initial idea and working on that with Anjulie to flesh that out and create this sort of love story. I recall it was really fun just seeing how the thought evolved and what information technology turned into. I don't know how other people are going to interpret it, so I think information technology's just fun seeing how the initial idea turned into this song.

You've played at pocket-size clubs like Lavo and big festivals like Across Wonderland which you've done recently, where do yous like performing more and why?

They're different considering when you play in the small clubs yous know that anybody there is there for yous and it's very intimate with the fans and they know all of your songs and you can hear them singing. That's the free energy that's amazing, merely then y'all go to a big festival and maybe virtually of them don't know who you lot are yet, simply that'southward fine. You gotta give them the introduction to what you do. When yous meet the body of water of people that could be super overwhelming too, so they're both amazing for different reasons.

How much preparation do y'all put in the setlist for, let'south say a gild versus a festival?

A festival you lot gotta exist a petty more strict about because your set times are usually shorter and then you gotta have a meliorate idea of what you're doing. Whereas with clubs it'southward a little more flexible on the times and they're usually longer and information technology's a piddling more than intimate so you tin can kind of go off the wheels. But you lot try to exercise a lot of prep for both and so I've been doing information technology long enough where I don't need equally clear of a game program. Now I can merely kind of become in and costless will it a piddling bit.

What'southward the biggest dream you accept for Elephante?

The biggest dream...you see I'chiliad not actually skillful with big film stuff. It makes me very anxious...like win a Grammy, take a Platinum album, win a Nobel Prize? I don't know. You gotta dream big, but to me the dream is being able to exercise it every twenty-four hours and I attempt to have it very small, similar take it day by day and just find the next absurd affair. To bring it dorsum to the plan thing, say I want to get to there, it'due south like life will take you some other style. Every day information technology'due south similar, "Alright this is cool I'm going to practice this, movement along and practise that" and I merely sort of follow that. Wherever yous end up is where you lot terminate upward. And just trusting the process, that's what'south going to go you there.

So and so what did your parents think of your plan?

They're not...no they're absurd with it now. I retrieve they've just come to accept the fact that I want to carve my ain path and they're similar equally long as I'm not asking for coin all the time then they're similar, "Yeah we're cool." Yous know, they're Asian parents, they worry alright, that's what they practise, but it comes from a place of beloved and I told my mom this is what I gotta exercise. Simply I've taken them out to a couple of shows, so I think they're into it.

That'southward crawly, what show you took them to?

Concluding one was a show in San Francisco and I actually brought them on stage. We were going on and I was with my mom and right before I walked on I was like, "Hey mom in thirty minutes go fix to come up on phase and she'southward similar what no, no no no." And I was like, "Alright, run across you." And I told my manager, "Yeah thirty minutes bring them on." I cued them and I cut the music and was similar I have some very special guests and I tin meet my mom'south face up just go completely white and I brought them on and they got super into it. My dad was having a blast. He was like "Yep I'll become on stage!" Then people were coming up to them asking to have pictures with them and stuff afterwards. It was great. It was hilarious.

So I saw you lot like Dragon Ball Z, now I simply take to ask, what'due south your favorite anime?

Probably Dragon Ball Z, other than that Gundam. I was really into Gundam when I was a child, but I haven't seen it in awhile because I don't call up they show it anymore. But Dragon Ball or Gundam, those were my two jams.

What's next for Elephante?

And then I'm playing a bunch of exciting festivals this summer. I'm doing EDC for the first time. I'g very excited almost Paradiso and Sunset Music Fest. I just finished a nine vocal EP that I'm really excited about. "The In Between" was the 3rd unmarried off it. I'm going to release a couple more singles and so nosotros're dropping the whole matter in June. It's all done. I've been working on information technology for a twelvemonth and a half and I'chiliad actually excited for anybody to hear.

Special thanks to Tim for taking the fourth dimension to chat with me! It was a pleasure learning more almost Elephante and nosotros tin can't wait to hear your new EP!

Follow Elephante:

Website: elephantemusic.com
Facebook: facebook.com/IAmTheElephante
Twitter: twitter.com/iamtheELEPHANTE
Instagram: @iamtheelephante
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/iamtheelephante
YouTube: youtube.com/user/iamtheelephante

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Source: https://edm.com/interviews/theres-no-caging-this-elephante-interview