motel void

Tokoloshe is a Dublin based singer/songwriter playing melancholic lo-fi indie rock with a hint of dark humour.

MOTEL VOID: You’re from Dublin, Ireland. How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel that you’re a part of it?

TOKOLOSHE: Yes, I’ve been playing music as part of various music projects in Dublin since I was a teenager. There was a strong scene a few years ago I was part of, around 2015. I was playing drums in an instrumental post rock band and there were a lot of local bands playing a similar kind of music, all inspired by Irish acts such as ‘Adebisi Shank’ and ‘And So I Watch You From Afar’. It was the only time I felt part of a so called ‘scene’.

There might be currently a few on the go but I’m not necessarily associated with any, every musician I know branched out into various projects of different styles and some have had great success in the music industry. The music in Dublin venues is very diverse, there’s acts left right and centre, making all kinds of music. You can catch numerous indie rock, hip hop or post punk type bands playing every weekend if you know where to look. I don’t currently have my ear glued to the ground as much as I used to in the past. I’m a bit in my own bubble, doing my own thing and haven’t payed too much attention to what’s happening around me.

MOTEL VOID: Could you recommend your favorite local artists and venues?

TOKOLOSHE: Some of my favourite local acts at the moment are Thumper, who are a high energy pop rock band, who are doing really well. There’s a cool indie folk rock band called Dogpond of which I’m a big fan. A few of my buddies have a band called Errorists which I’ve seen live a couple of times who have blown me away. I’m also very much enjoying the electronic music vibes of Coolgirl, an awesome Dublin based solo artist that’s well worth checking out. My favourite local venues are Sin É, Thomas House and Whelans.

MOTEL VOID: Your biggest music influences are Grizzly Bear, Modest Mouse and Andy Shauf. Could you name your most favorite albums/tracks by them?

TOKOLOSHE: Grizzly Bear have a tremendous body of work, all of which is incredible. A stand out track that really moved me when I first got into them was ‘Deep Sea Diver’. It’s the opener of their debut record, it’s so simple but so moving, it has an eerie sadness that attaches to you for hours after listening to it, it’s extremely powerful. Their first album titled ‘Horn of Plenty’ was something that inspired me to start making my own music at home. It’s an example of an album that’s imperfect, lo-fi, minimalistic, thin and rough around the edges yet incredibly beautiful and moving. It’s music captured in its purest form, unapologetic and very intimate.

My favourite Modest Mouse record is their major label debut ‘Good News for People Who Love Bad News’, it was like nothing I heard before at the time it came out in the early 2000’s. It opened up a door that led me to discovering their earlier work, side projects such as ‘Ugly Casanova’ and bands which influenced them such as ‘Built To Spill’. All of which have been a huge inspiration to me. Isaac Brock’s lyrics are so clever, he always puts a quirky spin on subjects and loves playing around with contradictions, having a nice mix of serious with hints of humour throughout. Which I also try to incorporate into my work, it’s good to break tension with a funny lyric here and there, even in songs that are generally quite serious. A stand out track for me on that record is ‘Ocean Breathes Salty’.

Andy Shauf’s ‘The Party’ is a perfect record and I have played it to death. He plays almost all the instruments on his records and is an all round brilliant musician. His music is super straight forward and simple yet so beautifully executed and produced that it doesn’t call for anything more. The arrangements on that record are perfectly put together. He is also a master of making a huge impact without raising his voice throughout the whole process, which is very admirable. One of my favourite tracks off this record is ‘Alexander All Alone’.

MOTEL VOID: ‘Save Yourself’ is your new single. Will it be a part of your new album as well?

TOKOLOSHE: For the moment I will probably stick to releasing singles, maybe try to execute it so that I do so more regularly, while trying to gig as much as I can to get the music out there. This track and the previous one I released titled ‘Brainspam’ are part of a bigger concept though, blending life experiences with sci-fi/horror like fictional elements. I am working on numerous tracks with this concept in mind which will all come together to tell a story. So eventually down the line I’d like to put them together and present them as one body of work. But I’m not sure yet if I’d re-recorded them for something like that or keep them as they are, time will tell.

MOTEL VOID: Could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of your new record?

TOKOLOSHE: I record everything in my rehearsal space. I tend to put the bones of a song together at home on an acoustic guitar, where I get an arrangement together and first draft of the lyrics. Then I’d go in to my jam room and lay down a drum track, add bass, guitar and vocals to put together a rough demo. Once I listen to it over and over I usually hear where I could make potential improvements and what works and what doesn’t. Then usually I’d go in and re-recorded the track keeping in mind what should be done differently but I try to also keep it natural and throw in off the cuff things that just come out in the moment.

The spontaneity gives it a nice human element which I love to hear in music. I don’t have much engineering experience so I keep the production fairly simple and raw, which is fine because it’s how I prefer things to sound a lot of the time. Once I’m happy with the mix I send the track to a mastering engineer called Fergal Davis who is amazing at his job. He has worked with many great Irish acts. He usually beefs up the track for me and makes sure everything sits in its right place. So my process is pretty simple and mostly a one man operation, which gives me a nice creative freedom to do things when and how I like to do them.