Sunday 2 October 2011

Steve Miller a.k.a. Afterlife Interview


1) Which genres and artists were the major influences in developing your sound?

Everything that I have ever heard that I liked, especially dub (Sly and Robbie, Lee Perry, Bob Marley, Studio one, Peter Tosh) Jazz and Blues (Coltrane, Sinatra, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Quincy Jones, all the old blues players, Seasick Steve, George Gershwin, Lalo Schifrin), Rock ( Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, the whole 70s thing), House Music ( I could go on all day)

2) You have a new album called "Electrosensitive" due out this year. Can fans expect more of the same. Or would you say your style has taken a different direction?

I've been told it's my best album so far, more songs, lots of different vibes including a deep house tune featuring Sharon Musgrave who sang on "Fascinating Rythmn" by Bassomatic (William Orbit) and a classy parisian dub featuring Juanita Grande who works with Charles Schilling. You can hear both of these at www.myspace.com/stevemillerisafterlife

3) You have collaborated with a range of artists including Danni Minogue, Cathy Battistessa and Chris Coco. You also have a project with Chris "the Normalites" with a preview e.p. released recently. How does this project differ to the chilled balearic sound that you and Chris are known for?

Like any collaboration it's a mixture of both of our vibes but I find what also happens in a collaboration is there's a real sense of the unknown, anything can happen and probably will because there's a greater sense of experimentation and bouncing mad ideas off each other. What's come out of this so far is guitar based dub and satirical lyrics with the odd bit of house and ambient drum and bass, we have no idea what will happen next but I'm looking forward to it.

4) Are there any Afterlife live shows or are you d.j.'ing at any events?

I'm booked to play in a bullring in Ondara near Denia, Spain for a new festival called Dance4 Life
in June, also looking at Moscow, Ibiza, Amsterdam but it's really difficult as wifi gives me a headache so I have to specify wifi free zones and that is not always possible hence the name of the new album.

5) You have appeared on Cafe Del Mar compilations. Are you a seasonal visitor to the Islands yourself? If so which artists do you see breakin' through big this year in Ibiza's balearic and chillout scene?

I visited Ibiza every year from 1994 to 2003 and will probably return this year to promote my album. There are so many new artists it's very hard to say but I do know that Chris Coco has got a brilliant new album coming out called "Feel Free Live Good" which is fresh, quirky, super balearic and in the best tradition inspired by his time there last year. One Eskimo should do really well and Gelka and anything else on Wax On Records.

6) Which artist you haven't already worked with would you like to any why?

Quincy Jones, I could learn so much, he's a genius and so humble too.

7) What advice would you give to inspiring artists just starting out?

Do what you love and stick to your guns.

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