He’s spent the last few years learning his trade in East London recording studios, writing with artists including ALECS and 11EVEN and had some hype last year surrounding his production as one half of ‘Xander the Great’.
Now London based producer Eddy Atlantis aka Ed Sanders has released his debut personal EP for streaming. A minimalist blend of futuristic, electronic R n B and lyrical honesty, ‘Boxroom Mansion’ had us so intrigued, we just had to have a chat with him…
Hi Eddy!
Can you sum up what you have been doing musically up until now…
Around 2007, I played Toby in the musical film ‘Sweeney Todd’ and straight after the wrap I set up a home studio. Having finished my grades in guitar, I had always loved music but the home studio was the start of me really getting into learning to create my own stuff. In 2009 I left home and moved up to London. I studied sound engineering and quickly moved into making tea and mopping floors in East London Recording studios. I tried my hardest to learn as much as I could about how the music industry worked and how I could make my music sound as good as some of the artists I was listening to in the studios. I finally got a chance to play some of my music one time whilst we had a session on and it got me a bit of credit and trust, so I was allowed to begin engineering a few of my own sessions.
I shot another film ‘Hugo’, and spent a couple of years studio hopping and trying to meet as many people as possible, until around 2012, when I met Xander (Taha, ‘Xander the Great’). We clicked instantly and still work together now. I’m his one and only producer and on top of that, we have become real good friends. We got a small bit of heat from some releases we did a year or so ago and that’s when doors started opening properly. Everything we had ever wanted to happen seemed to come so quickly. It was brilliant but now I’m a bit wiser and have realised that, although getting a buzz and all of the things that may follow are in themselves awesome, it really is only half the battle.
Having produced with other artists for a while (ALECS, 11VEN, Chloe Leone), it must be nice to be able to get your own stuff out there?
I actually didn’t want to write for other people. I was so focused on what me and Xander were creating (and I still am), that I had no interest in other ventures up until I happened to give ALECS a couple ‘beats’. I guess it showed me that there was more versatility to what I could write and produce and something that may not be suitable for Xander or me might be ideal for another artist. I now write for many people within many genres and love seeing some of the results.
What made you wait until now to release your solo work?
I found comfort in being in the background, I guess. There’s a certain versatility to what you can do. You don’t need to comply to an image and to be quite honest I was, and still am, finding my sound…I’m well aware that I’m exceptionally rough around the edges. ‘Boxroom’ to me is a slight release. Seeing other people express themselves over my music is amazing and made me think it’s about time I began to find out what I want to sound like and who I want to be musically…consider ‘Boxroom’ a personal experiment.
Talk us through your production process. Is there a big difference between your approach when working on your own tracks and that of different artists?
When I’m in with an artist, I spend as long as it takes to find out as much about them as I can. Once I find we’re on the same page with an idea about a song, the production seems to flow. I would usually show them some ideas I have pre made to see if there are any particular sounds/progressions they like and then keeping in mind anything they have requested we start creating! There’s no formula!
When I’m writing my own stuff it’s even more sporadic. I can watch a movie and hear something in the soundtrack or atmosphere that can spark an idea. The funny thing is, if I start a track and I know I like it then it will be finished and ready to be sent off for mastering in a couple days. I guess I get immersed.
How long was the process of putting the EP together?
‘Soul’ is a beat I had for a while but I really wanted to get a feature with a good rapper, so I was just sitting on it for a while until I decided to leave my rough nonsensical guide vocal on it. It grew on me and screw it…I liked it.
All the other tracks came to me when I decided to set up a studio in the country. I spent 7 days a week there with the occasional trip to London to get away. In total the EP took a Month and there are about 15 songs that didn’t make it on.
What have you enjoyed most about working on your own?
I love creating with someone else. I feel it’s more rewarding and can be less stressful. Working alone was just healthy. I needed to see what was inside just my head and now I know that it’s a lot of dope, messed up, weird gibberish.
You say that the lyrics on ‘Boxroom Mansion’ are ‘all freestyled and left unwritten/unedited for complete transparency as to what was in my mind at the time’ and writing music is obviously quite a personal thing! Were you ever worried about putting yourself out there in that way?
Nope, I’m not fussed. Take it as you like, ‘Boxroom’ is as raw as it gets. I have sat in sessions where the lyrics are being overly calculated and thought out and it takes away from so much of a song. To me, every track makes sense and I was hoping that people would be able to make their own sense out of bits of the tracks.
What’s your favourite track on the EP and why?
Well, ‘Sacrifice’ hits me hard, just because I like the verses. But funnily enough ‘Scars’ is my fave as it’s the most personal to me…the lamest most simple production but to me it’s perfect.
How did you come up with the title, ‘Boxroom Mansion’?
Since I left home, I have stayed in some really weird and wonderful places with some amazing and unbelievably generous people. I guess it’s just a mix between the box rooms and the mansions in life.
If you could work with anyone in the future, who would it be?
Toro y moi, Travis Scott, Mr Hudson, Bada$$, Charlie XCX, One Direction (for real).
What have you got planned for the next few months?
This tape’s just going to sit up on SoundCloud for anyone who may stumble across it. I’m going to shoot some videos to go along with it but I’m already on to new projects and new sessions with some really awesome people.
Thanks so much for talking to us! Good luck with everything.