DrawnSword receives todays GIGsoup Track of the Day with the impressive ‘The Spirit of La Masia’. Taken from his new EP ‘Still Too Few’ the artist suggests that the subject matter relates to “perseverance and trusting yourself.”

Drawn Sword, otherwise known as Raffael Scheiber, has created a piece of work that nudges itself cleverly into different genres with beautiful quivering vocals, minimalist persuasion and a real sense of space. Building to a wonderful crescendo the track is refreshingly impressive for an artist at the beginning of what should be a promising career.

GIGsoup spoke to the artist about his musical influences and his musical processes…

You have a indie pop vibe in your music, is this naturally an area you want to pursue your music in and who are your musical influences?

I never realised this, but it makes sense because for instance my earliest musical memory is listening to Paperback writer in the back of my dad’s car and even though I discovered Hip Hop at the tender age of ten, guitar music and indie music was always around and in my early twenties I collected noughties landfill indie seven inches.

As a result of that it will always be a part of me and what I do but it’s not necessarily intentional.

My musical heroes are J Dilla, Madlib, Supa Dave West, Gil Scott Heron is always a source of hope. Randy Newman for his virtuous use of satire in his lyrics and Macca for his effortless way to put together chord progressions.

Sun Ra really opened my eyes and then Producers like Tony Visconti and George Martin of course and people like Objekt or record labels like Hessle Audio or Swamp 81 really taught me to use production as an instrument.

Drawn Sword is a very interesting name why did you choose it? And what does it represent to you?

It’s a Metaphor for being ready, having your shit together. I wanted something that represents the singing mc.

Describe yourselves in 10 words to new fans!

Classical song writer with Hip Hop edge and electronic textures

How would you describe your musical process?

With the “Still Too Few” EP every element is deeply rooted in improvisation. It begins with the drums where every pattern is the product of me going very deep into my own head and into the zone. I would get so lost in the process that I’d come out of a session and listening back the next day I would not even remember how it all happened.

For this project, I would make beats type segments and then improvise on top and based on the parts I would write, a structure would establish itself/ emerge, so it was all very natural.

With an industry so competitive with many new bands and artists coming through how do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?

With love for the art with love for what I do, working detail oriented. With trying something new, with trying to be unique. Creating something fresh.

I see so many people just copying each other just hopping onto bandwagons and latching onto formulas. I try to connect things in a way they haven’t been before to give people a sense familiarity while facing something new.

The luxury of being able to embrace improvisation but using production as an instrument in itself and not hiding behind quantization or letting the computer do the work for you, my drums breathe and they swing and the tempo fluctuates cause that’s life! Life isn’t a lazy quantized four bar loop! In popular music people hide behind computers too much. I try to embrace my flaws and won’t allow my insecurities and peoples expectations define me, neither as a person nor as an artist.

‘The Spirit of La Masia is the second song off of your new EP ‘Still Too Few’. What is the notion behind the song and what made you pick it as your project?

The idea behind the song was perseverance and trusting yourself. Validate yourself and don’t listen to people trying squeeze you into stencils. Embrace what defines you cause what might seem like a weakness to others in reality is what makes you special.

It’s the song Rob Bravery (who co-mixed and co produced most of this EP) and I worked on the hardest to get it right.

What are your plans for the rest of 2016? Big events and any plans for festivals, gigs etc?

Create more visual content, more videos, release more tunes and start playing live very soon! Peep my social media to keep up with the moves I make.

BOOM! : DrawnSword 'The Spirit of La Masia'

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