Two years on from the release of his Mercury nominated debut, ‘Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam’, Ghostpoet released his second album ‘Some Say I So I Say Light’, through Play It Again Sam, earlier in the month.
Ghostpoet, aka Obaro Ejimiwe, has continued to impress and build a strong cult following across the UK scene, with performances alongside Metronomy and Jamie Woon just adding to his ever-enhancing portfolio. His single release ‘Meltdown’, taken from ‘Some Say I So I Say Light’, achieved great radio support following on from its premiere on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show.
Ejimiwe is showcasing his talents on a UK tour and I thought I’d grab a word with him prior to his Queen’s Social Club, Sheffield, performance to find out a little more about the life of a full time musician. This is what he had to say:
First of all, do you mind explaining how you came to start your musical journey?
It’s just listening to music really. I don’t have any musical background, in terms of family, but I just grew up listening to things and it came naturally.
Obviously, the next stage from listening is starting to write and then logically came producing. It has sort of come from all that really.
By your significant storytelling, is it safe to presume that you take a lot of lyrical from books? If so, any particular writers that influences you?
Not all my tracks are storytelling, a few though.
It’s a range of things really from books, television, newspapers, people; it’s just life in general. There can’t be no specific thing.
Often described as a melancholy MC, is that something you envision yourself …
[Laughs] I am definitely not an MC. I hate the word MC.
I thought we’d bring this up, as it is often a term you’ve dismissed in past interviews …
I don’t hate being associated with it, I just think that my music isn’t associated to any one genre. If I was called a folk artist, I’d make the same dismissal.
How would you describe yourself as then?
It’s an experiment of sound. An experiment consisting of all the genres I love in music, which happens to be everything as I don’t hate anything.
I soak I a lot of music in and then when it comes to making my own music, I no longer think in a box so to say.
In regards to your music, do you notice any significant transition from ‘Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jams’ to ‘Some Say I, So I Say Light’?
Making music full time has definitely influenced how I make music, before it was just very much a night time activity as that’s the only time I had free. But now, I’m soaking up a lot more of life.
When you’re working a 9 till 5 job, you have to focus on that quite a lot and that kind of prevents you from looking at the world and seeing how amazing it really is.
You can just get your head up and refocus.
‘Ghostpoet ‘Meltdown’ below:
Speaking about life, it seems to have translated well onto your new album as you fluctuate heavily on perspectives of the good parts and bad parts of society …
It’s not so much the good and bad of society, as that makes it sound too political and too serious.
It’s more the good and bad of life. I wouldn’t say it in a sort of preachy way, but it’s just me looking at my own life and the ups and downs that I go through.
The music I make is my observation of people’s lives and the world around me. But, it’s all aspects of it is about emotion – well as much as I can try to fit in.
With yourself in the studio rather than a bedroom this time, was it unusual experience to notice multiple hands supporting the record’s development?
Not really, as it was something that I always wanted to do. The co-producer, Richard Formby (Wild Beasts, Dog Is Dead), and the musicians, who I asked for, I decided to use.
I opted to have a co-producer rather than a producer, as I didn’t want someone that would so much help me make the music, but more help me to shape the music that I wanted to make.
I wanted a guide rather than co-producer of traditional sense.
You mentioned there about the list of guest artists featuring across the LP, how was it building these connections and fusing each individual track?
Some of the musicians were friends, (Richard) Formby suggested a couple and others were just voices that I admired. I just thought that they felt right for a particular track.
It’s just music. It’s all the same. It was important that I got people who were, not that I could anyway as I haven’t got the financial clout or commercial status, not these “bigger” artists. I didn’t want to do that.
I wanted music that would stand within the track not just have them because their name looks good on paper and you’re like, I have to hear it because this artist is on the record. Obviously, you get it to some extent, as they all have their fans, but it’s not on a commercial sense more on making a good tune more than a strategic collaboration.
With you now out on your UK tour dates, how is it emulating your studio sounds to the live performance?
It’s cool. I’ve got a great band behind me, who’re all open to the kind of experimentation that I tried to put down on the record. When I was making it, I didn’t want to think about that.
I didn’t want that to restrict what I did in the studio, so it has been a relatively easy transition.
As I said, they’re great musicians and we’ve been able to work out ways to incorporate all of the sounds and this is a different experience live anyway. It’s much livelier than people expect.
Pressing on the heels of my next question, what are people missing out on by not seeing a Ghostpoet performance?
You can expect what you want [laughs].
Honestly, I hate this question …
Well, sorry to have put you in that predicament ….
No, it’s not your fault. I’m just not a sales person and I don’t know to say it. I know my label hate s**t like this, but I don’t know how to sell it.
I love music. I put in everything into my making of it and the live show. If you come with an open mind, you might enjoy it; if you don’t, that’s life.
Our final question; you mentioned your love of the music, so who are you really enjoying in the music scene at the moment?
I’ve been listening to the new Deerhunter album a lot, it’s called ‘Monomania’. Plus, I’m liking Autechre, at the moment.
That being said, I’ve been listening to another band called Junip too, which is José González and the tallest man alive.
But, yeah, that has been about it really.
Thanks for spending the time to speak to me today!
No worries. Cheers once again!