OPIUO | PYRAMIDISLAND.COM |INTERVIEW 04.2016
Amanda Van Elk catches up with funkadelic bass music extraordinaire OPIUO (A.K.A. Oscar Davey-Wraight) ahead of his national tour and new single Sneakers. He'll be performing his live set and “super sick light show” at the Uni Bar this Saturday 16th of April in Hobart.
A: Thanks for your time today Opiuo. Tassie is not too dissimilar to New Zealand where you grew up, do you get to visit often now that you call Melbourne home? Any additional fun style shenanigans planned for the trip down south?
O: I only manage to get back to New Zealand a few times a year, mostly during a tour. I miss my family, but I know they’re rocking it so it's easier to be apart from them. I also miss the beauty of New Zealand, it’s unbeatable! I love Tassie for that exact reason too, it’s beautiful and the people are awesome and humble. We’re bringing a killer light show with us so that’s definitely something fun I have planned!
A: You’re touring to promote your latest single Sneakers which features a prominent tongue in cheek vocal sample, can we expect more of your particular brand of humour to feature in the forthcoming album Onmiversal ?
O: I love to laugh and often I find people in the music world take themselves a little too seriously, so I guess this was my go at making sure we don’t. This upcoming album is extremely varied in style and texture, from fun and uplifting to deep and introspective. It’s a journey. Something I’m very proud of.
A: Tell us a bit about the transition from performing solo to touring with The Opiuo Band. How did you approach the live scoring process as a band as opposed to a single entity?
O: The band is a beast of a transition. I spent six months just working out how I could do it. Then another three months rehearsing before the very first show. We have grown a lot and adapting the music has evolved in itself, becoming much easier and fun. I now write with a bit more of a purpose in mind in terms of how I can adapt into the band world as well as make music that has the solo show very much at the forefront of my mind. I love both methods of performing my music equally as they are now two very different experiences.
A: When you’re in the studio do you approach your writing primarily with the intention of seeing audiences dance or do you also aim to mine particular emotional reactions outside of that live environment?
O: Usually it’s all about the dance. I love to make people dance. It’s why I started doing this in the first place. This album though has both so it's been a new world for me to make some music that hopefully imbibes beauty, emotion and even calm into the often busy human mind.
A: Can we expect you to dig pretty deep into your back catalogue for your Hobart gig? Any chance of a sneaky preview of a couple more tracks from the forthcoming Omniversal?
O: You’ll be hearing a SHIT TONNE of the new album, some more brand new stuff plus some definite favourites. I have so much new music and a super sick light show to go with it, so it’s a crazy good time. I’m always so excited when I have this much new music to play!
A: How did your gigs the Mr MC Hammer himself come about? Did you get a little starstruck?
O: It was a private party for Google in San Francisco a few years back. He was a legend. Super nice guy and can still dance insanely well.
A: We’ve read that you don’t tend to listen to too much electronic music in your spare time so can you tell us about a couple of albums/ artists/ genres you’ve been inspired by lately?
O: I listen to whatever is tickling my fancy at the current time, and sometimes that is solely electronic, sometimes not. Maribou State have been on high rotation in the mornings before I hit the studio. Just good listening music.
A: We’re a big fan of your track names, they’re hilarious and quite legendary. Do you come up with them yourself or do people sometimes collaborate and suggest ideas?
O: Both really. Sometimes someone says something and we run with it and sometimes I just dive deep into my fucked up brain. I love words. They can conjure such incredible visuals, emotions, even smells. So I just try to match what the song tastes and looks like with a word for equal deliciousness.
OPIUO will be performing in Hobart, Tasmania this Saturday 16th of April at the Uni Bar.
-Amanda Laver