Apr 05, 2022

Talk Over On Opportunities Digital Era Has Brought for Musicians

 

Say hello to Lewis, known also as Talk Over! We’ve spoken with him about why music and gaming go hand in hand, and how the digital world makes artists more independent.

gigmit: Could you tell us a litlte bit more about you and your sound? 

Talk Over: My name is Lewis AKA Talk Over. I am an artist based in Cambridge, UK. My music is predominantly electronic, inspired by techno, breakbeat, “IDM” (for lack of a better term – I don’t like it), as well as experimental and world music. I try to combine leftfield tendencies with a sense of groove, and try to steer clear of being pigeon-holed into any particular, restrictive style.

 

How did you get into music?

For me, it was the classic older brother story: he showed me from a young age the music he was into, which was lots of late-nineties EDM and House and Techno, and onto Drum ‘n’ Bass and things on Warp Records and the like. From there I then got into more experimental and alternative music from around the world.

I got into actually making music in perhaps the same way a lot of artists of my generation did: messing around on software. Firstly it was Garageband on the family iMac, making cheesy tunes with stock instruments and plugins, and then moving onto Ableton Live, which was a big step up as you could actually timestretch samples, so you could fit any sound into any track. That was when things really took off for me.

What are your passions outside of music? 

I’m a big fan of gaming. I have been quite influenced recently by game soundtracks, from retro chiptune tracks to more cinematic work. I’m particularly into the music of Akira Yamaoka, whose soundtracks perfectly capture the weird, strange world of the Silent Hill games, yet are also incredibly catchy and melodic. I would love to soundtrack a game one day – I think it could be really inspiring to work on a game with a strong sense of its own aesthetic and ideas, and using that to bounce off of. 

Would the world be better or worse without stars and so-called old hands in the business?

I think the way the industry is changing, those sorts of people are on their way out. It’s clearly better to get rid of those that have exploited artists and fans with unfair splits and extortionate practices. The only upside to them was that they could make you famous I suppose, but only if you were lucky, not necessarily because you were talented and deserved to be. Also, I think the power that an artist has nowadays to create their own audience and promote themselves independently means they are less important. 

Today, with all the various progressive forms of activism that this generation is spearheading, proper attention is starting to be paid to the well-being and fair representation of artists. Those badly-behaved old hands can’t get away with as much as they did before, and hopefully not at all going forward.

As for stars, it depends on what they are like. Some are a force for good and do well in giving back to their fans and supporting other artists. Those that aren’t will soon be exposed, the same way other stars have in the recent past.

What do you think about the independent music business? Is it a positive force that helps rising artists express their true voice or not?

There seems to be a lot more power with independent artists now, with way more resources for them to record and get their music out there. The downside is that obviously, this means more work to do, but there are many great opportunities to foster your own community, which is something that has really taken off recently. There are also numerous ways to engage with your audience, from social media to Youtube to Twitch, the latter of which I think has big potential to grow as a music platform. I think artists can apply their same creative instincts to the business and promotion side of things as they do to their music.

 


We also believe that the live music business as it stands is complex and inherently has too many barriers to entry. gigmit is changing that. 

Live Events inspire us and we make touring, booking and promoting a frictionless experience. We deliver the smartest platform for the industry to help artists and promoters make the most informed booking decisions that are fast, easy, and data-driven.

gigmit empowers artists and promoters to craft the live career they want. 

With gigmit PRO, 

  • you get an EPK that promoters want, 
  • you gather data that matters for live shows, 
  • you get access to thousands of global live music festivals & venues,
  • and 90% of the opportunities will be directed to our PRO community,
  • you get all the deals & tools you need to develop your career,
  • you only pay a small flat fee and keep 100% of all fees coming in!

Join booking of tomorrow. Join gigmit PRO today.

Logo: gigmit PRO