What is your name?
Michael Oakley

What is your genre of music?

I think my genre is somewhere between Synthpop and EDM. Definitely retro based.

Give us a little bio about you.

I’m an electronic musician from Scotland in the UK and have a background singing and writing in bands before going solo as of 2016 and I have just released my debut EP California. I grew up listening to 80s music in the 90s when I was at high school and that has kind of dominated my sound whenever I write.

What made you go in to music?

Depeche Mode. When I first heard Enjoy The Silence at 8 years old it totally blew me away and made me want to get a synthesizer and make similar kinds of music. You can do so much more with synthesizers and create a whole new world to enjoy on headphones. I love that song so much I have a tattoo of the rose from the single cover on my arm.

Are you signed?

No I’m a completely independent musician.

You have a brand new single coming out ‘California’, what can we expect from it?

Synthesizers, 80s drum machines, guitars and millennial whoops you just can’t get out of your head! Lol

Describe it in two words.

Atmospheric Synthpop

What was the writing process like?

The music for the song came first one night when I was working with James, aka: Missing Words and we just had this incredible moment of inspiration and it all came together very quickly. It’s great working with someone as talented as James who’s on the same wavelength as me.

What was the recording process like?

A lot of fun. We both instinctively knew how to make the song sound the way we wanted and were both really happy with how it sounds.

Who did you show first?

I think the first person I let hear it was my best friend Richard and he loved it!

We will also be seeing a music video coming out , how was that to film?

It was great fun. We shot the video in Long Beach with Brad Kinnan who has done videos for other well known Synthwave artists.

Do you have a favourite memory from the shoot?

It was a bit of a blur for me as I was going through a terrible jet lag and filming this at 4am was the most surreal experience ever. When I watch the video it feels like it was a dream to be honest!

Describe the video in two words.

VHS Melancholy

Do you have any gigs or tours coming up?

I plan to do some shows in 2018

Do you play any instruments?

Synthesizer and vocals

Who are your influences?

Ulrich Schnauss, Depeche Mode, The Midnight, Elton John, New Order, Miami Vice TV show

How do you get inspiration to write songs?

Thats way too big a question! Theres many ways I find it but if I had to give a short answer I would say in anything that emotionally moves me so much that I relate it to my own experiences and then want to project that outwardly in my own music.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?

I never think further ahead than today…

When you’re not doing music, what do you do?

I love video games, football, watching 80s movies and TV

What was the first album you ever bought?

Erasure – POP (The first 20 hits) which I got on cassette when I was at school. Great songs and amazing synthesizer sounds.

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

Don’t get caught up in what other people think about your music and what you do, because it’s what you think that’s important. No matter how good your music is there’s always going to be people out there that don’t like it and negatively comment on it. You’re making music because you love doing it, not for recognition or money or whatever. All that is just a side effect of you staying true to your art.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?

See the previous question’s answer lol

What quote or saying do you always stick by?

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. – Michelangelo

Do you have any social media for fans to follow you?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Check out California right here;