POINT OF VIEW INTERVIEW #38

PRODUCER/DJ: LEWIS CANCUT



From Melbourne, Australia, NLV Records artists, Lewis Cancut, brings a whole new style of electronic music. Colliding sounds of manipulated tones and vocals, the charismatic vibe in his music intrigues any ear and heart. His work such as his recent release, Indoor Rainforest EP and multiple collabs with artists like Swick, Tony Quattro, and more, show the kind of innovative mindset he has when it comes to delivering something original to the scene. Touring with Nina Las Vegas herself around Australia, Lewis Cancut is one you will need to catch this month. Below check out the interview with this unique producer as he talks all about the inspirations behind his music and rising career! Enjoy!

Purchase Indoor Rainforest EP here!

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Question 1: What got you into making music?

When I was a teenager, it was just before music was really on the internet. This was just before Napster happened and we lived in a small country town where there wasn't much on the radio, so I wasn't really into music for a long time. When I was about 15, my friend's older brother got a copy of Mix Master Mike's Anti Theft Device album which blew my brains out. Before then I was really into visual art, but that album made me realize you could make art from sound. It was the DIY aspect which appealed to me most, as there were no instruments used on it, almost like anti-music. And I really hated guitars and drums at the time so it was perfect!

Question 2: What people intrigue you or inspire you to pursue music? 

Lots of DIY pop producers and bands I really like. People such as Pretty Tony who produced Debbie Deb or bands like Konk, ESG, Yellow Magic Orchestra. People who had new approaches to making music, but always done in a very sincere kind of way. Also, I've been reading a lot of essays by Ingo Niermann, who in a way takes new approaches to writing in a sincere manner. His approaches to solving cultural and political problems are useful when making music too.

Question 3: How would you define your style of music?

That's getting harder. Before any sound can be clearly defined, now it melts away into the internet. All the genres that people still talk about, like for example house or techno, are just ghosts from an era before the net consumed everything. For me, I really just want to make something which sounds new and so usually when I'm asked, I'll just combine words like quasi-tropical or internet-pop. Even though it's actually a specific label, people have started referring to everything in the scene altogether as "PC Music" which I like too.

Question 4: What influences your style of work?

I love working in the studio with synthesizers. The raw sounds by themselves are what interest me and direct how the finished track will all fit together. Sometimes this becomes a serious problem and I have too many sounds in one track! Then it's hard to delete some because all the sounds have their own personality which I get attached to. I try and approach all sounds as being equal. I know that's not actually the case, but if you believe the sound of a barking dog is just as good as a string quartet, it can really help a lot with music.

I think it's important to like bad music too because often you can learn more from it. If everything is refined to the point where it sounds like an Apple Watch advertisement, then we're fucked.

Question 5: What is your favorite track that you have produced so far?

Probably "Say Ok" Feat. Tigarah. It's very hard to listen to your own work, without hearing all the separate parts and the decisions you had to make along the way. But with this, we had so much fun writing and recording it.

Question 6: How far do you plan to take your music, any goals in mind? Who would you like to work with in the future?

I think there are too many collaborations now in music, where producer albums have to be loaded up with celebrity features just so that anyone will notice. We're starting to see a formula repeated, it's like everyone's just sleepwalking. I'm not really sure yet, but I think in the next year I'd love to finish an ambient album. Something really simple and spacious. Something with absolutely no financial value!

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