Fast rising American producer Washed Out has spoken about the chillwave genre he is often associated with.
The internet has changed the way music is disseminated. The blog culture on the rise, new genres can spring up and collapse within a week. Want an example? Check out the growth of chillwave.
Disparate producers with little really in common, the term was coined on a blog and has become a catch all for producers who seem to evoke nostalgic, childhood soundscapes.
Washed Out is often linked to the scene, alongside close friend Toro Y Moi. Real name Ernest Green, Washed Out released his debut album earlier this year with his productions being met with widespread acclaim.
With artists across the world linking themselves to the chillwave style, Washed Out has admitted that he regards the term as a bit of a joke. “It wasn’t a conscious thing we were doing, we didn’t aim to set out and make this sort of music. It just happened. The Chillwave tag is a running joke between me and Chaz (Toro Y Moi); it just appeared on the internet. I prefer to call it dream pop, but whatever”.
“For sure we share the same influences – old shoegaze, synth pop, Beach Boys – but Chaz is more instruments based where I’m more electronic” he told Teshno.
“I don’t try to write songs about this time or that, this emotion or the other, I just sit down and get into it. I don’t even listen to dance music so feel a bit of a fraud making these dance-y beats, but that’s what it’s all about – just going with the music and totally getting lost.”
Meanwhile, Toro Y Moi revealed that he is not entirely sure why he associated with chillwave. “I started out doing guitar and piano based stuff, then went on to laptops in 2005 because already I didn’t want the Toro Y Moi sound being fitted into one style” he said.
“I didn’t want people to get too familiar and for them to think Toro Y Moi is an electronic musician then for them to be surprised when I do something else, so I mix it up. I’m more interested in the end sound than how I record it. If that sound is ‘Chillwave’ then I’m cool with that. I see how people relate the name to the music.”
