Chicago artist William Sanford is an eclectic ambient/electronic musician who creates abstract piece of music unlike nothing else. His new album, Deep Mollusca, was released in December and it really is a great example of William’s captivating style. Find out more about the record below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new album titled Deep Mollusca. What can you tell us about the record?
Deep Mollusca was originally conceived as a sort of surreal Nat Geo documentary or one of those educational films you’d watch in biology, but if you walked into class really stoned. In fact, the project was directly inspired by the YouTube channels of Schmidt Ocean Institute and EVNautilus.
How has the reception to Deep Mollusca been so far, and where can it be purchased?
If you really want to give William money, you can purchase the tracks from Bandcamp, otherwise, the album can be streamed anywhere you enjoy your music.
What was the writing and recording process like for the record?Have you started writing for your next release yet?
The writing and recording process happen in tandem over a long period of time. Anymore, William obsesses over tiny details so tracks take a long time to develop. By the time they are released, they’ve been poked and prodded at for about a year.
Do you have any singles planned for release from the album?
William isn’t really a singles type of artist. He does them, but only if they are their own concept.
Are there any plans for a full-length album anytime soon?
There is an EP in the pipeline. I won’t say too much about it other than it has a certain musky smell to it.
Your music has an experimental sound. What/who were you most influenced by when making the record?
There’s a huge list of influences on William’s website, and those influences go beyond music. Aside from William’s core influences of IDM, prog, jazz, psychedelic and pop, there’s also Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, as well as deep philosophical tendrils wrapped around the music. Throw in some industrial, new age, and video game soundtrack influences with the above mentioned oceanic videos and you’ve got Deep Mollusca.
You’re from Chicago. What is the local music scene like in the area?
No idea. William is from the suburbs of Chicago and it’s kind of a pain to get into the city. When he does go, it’s usually to hit the art galleries in Ukrainian Village. William’s caught a couple of shows in the Pilsen neighborhood, but William’s an ancient dead corpse and isn’t necessarily hip to what the kids are listening too.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up in the next few months?
Aside from the previously mentioned EP, not really. Expect some visual transformations to occur along side the EP.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
That would be a dream, wouldn’t it?
Any last words for the fans?
If you do not make the meaning in your life, other people will write it for you. And it’ll most likely be boring and sad. Build your meaning. It isn’t pre-determined, you’re not born with it, there is no destiny. It is an active and simultaneous collaboration and battle between you, your culture and the people involved in your life. Meaning and identity are always in flux.
Want to be a rock star at 260 years old and you’ve been dead for 187 years? Just do it. You’re the only person that’s stopping you. Want to be a poet, but the people around you have convinced you that the world has no need for poets? Do it anyway, because the very fact you saw a gaping hole that needed to be filled with poetic words proves otherwise.