We’re headed off to WA to get to know Ukiyo, an up and coming producer who’s just dropped a sweet new single called ‘Go’.
Featuring vocals from Chymes, the track is available now and is sure to go down a treat when Ukiyo performs it at the Bunbury edition of Groovin The Moo this weekend.
So without further ado, join us in getting to know Ukiyo.
01. Name : Timothy Arnott / Ukiyo.
02. Where are you based? Perth, Australia.
03. How did you get your start in music? As a kid I wanted to be a film director and started messing with music with the idea it’d go into my videos. I discovered Garageband when I got my first laptop and realised that I could make music all by myself, great news for a little introverted kid like myself.
I managed to get my hands on speakers and old casio keyboards from verge side collections and markets and I’d come home from school every day and make songs.
04. Give us five words to best describe you as an artist. Easy going nerd but also perfectionist.
05. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. When I started my style was completely ripping off my idols. I started out making very four-to-the-floor style dance music. 2016 was when I decided I’d completely exhausted that and Ukiyo was born.
I started out doing my own take on the chill-hop style that’s since taken over YouTube. I’ve still got a heap of that stuff that I never released. Recently I’ve been pushing myself with new sounds and styles, hopefully a lot of it will see the light of day this year!
06. What’s your earliest musical memory? I used to play piano for my family from a pretty young age. I didn’t really have much of a technique but I had a knack for playing chords that sounded nice together. I remember judging if what I was coming up with was any good by how quickly my grandparents fell asleep to it.
07. Who have been your musical influences? Right from the beginning a huge influence has been classical music and movie soundtracks, John Williams being a big one. Over the years I’ve picked up a lot of influence from the likes of Gramatik, Electric Mantis, Porter Robinson, Flume, Mura Masa, Baths, Shlohmo, Kasbo.
08. What are your favourite songs of all time? ‘Sea Of Voices’ by Porter Robinson, ‘Resonance’ by Home, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ by Michael Jackson, ‘1998’ by Chet Faker.
09. Where’s your favourite place to listen to music? Out in a backyard with friends or when I’m taking off in an plane.
10. Who are your go-to artists when you’re feeling : Happy? Sad? Introspective? Exhausted? If I’m happy or exhausted I’ll chuck on one of the chill Spotify playlists. If I’m sad or introspective my go-tos are Porter Robinson, Mac Demarco or Billie Eilish.
11. What was the first album you ever bought? The soundtrack to the first ‘Harry Potter’ film by John Williams, amazing!
12. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. I used to produce and sing on terrible pop bangers, they’re on the internet somewhere but no-one will ever find them.
13. What would your chosen career be if music wasn’t an option? Either a graphic designer or an IT dude. Maybe even a manager.
14. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? There’s a lot of things that have stuck with me, being the anxious person I am the most important one is probably not to stress about things that aren’t in your control.
15. If you could trade places with any artist in the world right now, who would it be? Oh man, I’ve always wished I could sing but idk. Maybe Calvin Harris, he seems like he’s got his life all sorted out.
16. Tell us about your latest release. ‘Go’ is a bit of a detour from what I’ve put out so far. I’ve never put out a song quite like it or as personal. I wrote it last year during a period where I was struggling with the pressures of music. I really want to take people on a little journey when they listen.
17. What do your future plans involve? A bunch of music, a bunch of shows & some super cool things that haven’t been announced yet. It’s shaping up to be a wild year. I’m closing out my stage at Groovin’ The Moo this week so I’m pretty pumped for that.
18. Where can our audience catch you live?
May 12 : Bunbury (Groovin The Moo)
May 26 : Perth (Art Ball)
WEBSITE : www.ukiyomusic.com
FACEBOOK : www.facebook.com/ukiyoau/
INSTAGRAM : www.instagram.com/ukiyoau/
TWITTER : www.twitter.com/ukiyoau/
SOUNDCLOUD : www.soundcloud.com/ukiyoau
YOUTUBE : www.youtube.com/ukiyoau/
Australia's first stop for pop!