Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Exclusive interview with Evan Fraser of Dirtwire



Dirtwire is a collaboration of David Satori (Beats Antique) and Evan Fraser (Hamsa Lila, Stellamara) which places emphasis on the fusion of Americana live instrumentation and electronic sounds. They recently released their second album 'Riptide' which shot straight into the itunes world music chart at No# 1 and the Billboard world music charts at No#13 we caught up with Evan to discuss their project and their recent success.




1) You are both members of world fusion acts I imagine Dirtwire is the polar opposite focusing on the home-grown so to speak. Could you explain the Americana scene for those who like me don't really know anything about it other than it sounds like a melting pot of country, bluegrass and blues.


It doesn't feel like we're super in touch with the current Americana scene either other than what we've been exposed to at Bluegrass and folk festivals like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and High Sierra Music Festival. We also really enjoy the music of Rising Appalachia who are good friends of ours. As far as our sound, we're drawing from so many sources including African, Latin, Indian, Blues, Country, Folk, R & B, and the different Electronica genres. We have our feet in all these worlds at the same time. Global Swamptronica sums it up pretty well I think.


2) How does the Dirtwire sound differ from other Americana artists?


Dirtwire's sound is different from other Americana – if you want to call it that, because we're blending in the sounds and instruments of the planet as well as having a firm footing in an electronic music production aesthetic. We love the juxtaposition of roots and electro together. Purists may have a hard time getting behind this but we believe it can be done tastefully. It's really how you go about it as you create the recipe, getting the ingredients to a point where you're happy with it.


3) Your recent album release 'Riptide' shot straight in at No# 1 on the itunes and No#13 on the Billboard World Charts. Did you anticipate such a rapid response to the release and with such a response do you see Dirtwire as an on-going project?


We're very happy to have charted at #13 on Billboard and #1 on iTunes. It's a pat on the back and makes us feel like we're doing something right. The response from all our fans has been incredible. We're really thrilled! Dirtwire will continue to make albums and perform as long as we're able. We love it so much and it feels like that’s what we're built for.


4) You both play a vast array of instruments on the album, how do you amalgamate this in the studio and you are playing at Sonic Bloom festival in Colorado how would this work as a live show?


Both of us have a large collection of instruments in our sound pallet. In the studio we might start with a melody, loop or a beat to get our creativity flowing then we start layering, editing, overdubbing, editing some more, etc. It's a fun and long process and we take a lot of care doing it.

On stage, since there are only two of us at this point, we are essentially performing our music compositions with an emphasis on melody to our own custom backing tracks that we build with all our organic, electric, and electronic sounds. Sometimes we do live looping as well.


5) Are there any plans to take Dirtwire to the international stage in the future?

YES! We are currently in the process of seeking an international booking agent. We want to plan tours to Europe, Central and South America. But first we're going to head back east and down south this July and August.


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