What is your name?
Lisbon Kid
What is your genre of music?
Alt. Acoustic-Electronica
Give us a little bio about you.
Alternative acoustic electronica duo. Purveyors of laid-back earworm beats and mellow reflective moments through finest sonics and curious ambience. Songs and tunes for after the night before.
Biography
Lisbon Kid is a new London-based alternative acoustic electronica duo formed just over a year ago and now beginning to make waves.
The band is comprised of London-based Portuguese musicians Danny de Matos and Rui da Silva. Between them they have had many successes on both sides of the Atlantic as award-winning writers and producers working within a wide range of genres from EDM to techno rock, alternative folk to indie pop. Most recently developing and producing Chloe Howl for Sony Columbia.
They have just completed their debut album, which is a seemingly effortless and laidback mix of electronica and acoustic instruments, often with ambient landscaping and employing elements of sound design. Added to this is a huge song-based pop sensibility and emotional lyrical content that gives the project the obvious uniqueness that is Lisbon Kid.
The writing and recording process for the project originally began in Portugal from whence the duo hail, and then eventually moved back to London for completion. They have taken an uncompromising audio approach, allowing them to achieve a real and obvious sonic excellence. Lisbon Kid have employed the best in both vintage valve audio signal paths and acoustic instruments in the analogue world, and also the latest software and techniques in the digital domain.
Their combined experience as cutting-edge producers in their respective fields has also contributed to the vast warmth and beauty of the sound of the project.
Lisbon Kid have recently been described as “Purveyors of laid-back earworm beats and mellow reflective moments through finest sonics and curious ambience… Songs and tunes for after the night before.”
The radio and synch-friendly debut album also contains various contributions from a select handful of well-known luminaries from the alternative music world additionally bringing their unique personalities and feel to the forthcoming long player.
Featured artists and vocalists include Sarah Cracknell (St. Etienne), Lisa Billson (Orbital/Loose Salute), electronic diva Queen Of Hearts and Icelandic alt. folk song siren Hafdis Huld.
Are you a signed?
Yes we signed to the legendary Wall Of Sound label early 2016
You released Part 1 of ‘We Look At The Stars’ tell us more about it
It’s our third single and probably the most radio-friendly track from our debut album ‘Lisbon Kid’. It references 2 people being together by a harbour looking at the night sky. It features the beautifully voiced Sarah Cracknell from St Etienne and remixes from the likes of trip hop/electronica genius Howie B (U2, Bjork, Tricky)
Describe each track in two words.
We Look At The Stars (album version) – astral thinker
Howie B Polo Remix – spaced-out smasher
Warriors Of The Dystotheque Remix – popping nebula
It features Sarah Cracknell, how did the collaboration come about?
When we finished the instrumental we always had her in mind to do the vocal on it. We first played it to her at her house in Oxfordshire, England. She loved it straightaway. She told us it was very her and understood exactly what it needed. So we decided to go into the studio a few days later and see what would happen.
How did the recording go?
It was a really comfortable, quick and easy process. We’ve been friends for a long time. Sarah has just about one of the most iconic indie electronica voices there are. She has no idea about how good she is at what she does. We knew exactly what we wanted and that was for her to just be able to be herself. All it took was some tea and biscuits to get us going. We wrapped everything up including backing vocals and all the double tracking within a couple of hours.
You released Part 2 on December 2nd, tell us more about this part.
We did a re-work on our usual melodic style that we didn’t want to include on the part one release as we wanted the focus to be on the original album version and the Howie B and Warriors Of The Dystotheque remixes. We also had Spatial Awareness do an acid style remix for those of a more ‘early Sunday morning still going in a Hoxton basement with pills’ type of persuasion.
Describe each track in two words.
Lisbon Kid Re-work – melodica electronica
Spatial Awareness Remix – asteroid acid-tripper
Are you heading out on tour or have any gigs planned?
We’re currently curating an art exhibition that’s happening at the end of February/beginning of March at The Dissenters’ Gallery in West London. It’s for the audio-visual version of this album that we’re releasing at the same time. We’ve carefully selected artists to do an artwork for each of the tracks on the album. They’ll be paintings, sculptures and installations too. The exhibition will run for 5 days during which the works will be obviously be exhibited, one will be being finished by the artist in situ at the time and we’ll do some ad hoc live performances and special DJ sets all accompanied by visual projections of the album of course. It’s all very exciting.
If so which cities will you be going?
Apart form London we’ll most probably take the exhibition with us when we return to do our Sunset Sessions in Ibiza where we did 2 separate tours during the summer. We’ll more than likely have to do something in Lisbon itself. (We first played there last year at the Sao Jorge Cinema. A huge and classically beautiful old venue. ) We’re also looking to do festivals in the UK and Europe in the Summer 2017.
What made you go in to music?
We’ve both been making music not long after we were kids miming in our bedrooms in front of a mirror. We still both feel compelled to do music everyday. It’s the one constant in our lives that makes us happy (apart from our families). Especially through all these difficult times we all seem to be going through. It’s a strange world right now and music is like a balm for the soul. It makes everything OK again for a while.
Do you play any instruments?
Danny plays guitars, basses, banjos, ukuleles, mandolins. He also bashes weird percussion things around the studio and stuff he finds in the kitchen and plays strange old keyboards badly. He’s the ‘Head of the Strings Department’. Rui is the ‘Synthmeister’. He twiddles knobs and sliders for hours on end until they’re just right and he knows the name of every single one of them.
Who are your influences?
We’re influenced by places and events AND people… Sunsets, Brian Eno, Erased Tapes, Alan Watts, Grandaddy, thunderstorms, Iron and Wine, walks on empty beaches, Pink Floyd, Paula Rego, Jon Hopkins, Steve Reich, Salvador Dali, Alentejo wine, The Coen Brothers, Stil Vor Talent, Arvo Part.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
We write from our experiences. From what we see and feel and think. Whether past or present. In order to do that, you have to just go and live. Sometimes away from your normal day-to-day life so that you can have those very experiences that you can then document through the music. The more you live the more you know and it’s always best to write about what you know.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
More of the same. We’re lucky to do what we do. So we’d hope to be making yet another album. We learn everyday and that keeps things fresh and current.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
We both are voracious consumers of other artists’ work. Whether that be music or art or film. We try and use all those forms to learn from and let them seep into our own work. We spend a fair but of time in Portugal where we find it easier to watch the sea and the coast and nature in general doing its thing. It’s sometimes good to have a break from the craziness of London.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Do what you want to do.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Be yourself. Be kind. Believe. – Lisbon Kid.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
What we think, we become. – Buddha.
You work with Hush PR, how did that come about?
Rui had already worked with Sacha and Danny had previously worked with the same company she was with before she went out on her own, so we were already aware of her and what she did. She heard the Lisbon Kid album and loved it. We wanted to work with the best so we insisted we get her to represent us. She agreed. It was all very easy and obvious really.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Capo, iPad for lyrics and arrangements, in-ear monitors, guitars, synths
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
www.facebook.com/lisbonkid
www.twitter.com/lisbon_kid
www.instagram.com/lisbon_kid
