Luke Steel speaks to the local media on Sunday. (Mikkel Bolante/InterAksyon)
Australian electronic act Empire of the Sun, known for such hits as “Walking on a Dream” and “Alive”, was in Manila Sunday to have a quick chat with members of the press before heading to play at the 7107 International Music Festival at the Global Gateway Logistics Center in Clark Field, Pampanga.
Even without having to go on stage just yet, “Emperor” Luke Steele was already garbed in a glitzy black costume, complemented by gold chain necklaces and a huge lion pendant. He had just a touch of blush on his cheeks, but had foregone the headdress this time, opting instead for a high Mohawk.
The artist, who was not with collaborator “Lord” Nick Littlemore at the time, charmed with his rock-star glamour as he talked about music, inspiration, and getting to be a part of 7107.
At 13, his dad taught him how to play the guitar. Today, he makes music that seems like “a Technicolor dream.”
Steele described Empire of the Sun’s sound as “unpredictable, like a woman’s smile,” and “like being a whale for a day, swimming (in) the ocean”. What contributes to the quality, he said, was how they spent a lot of time in the studio cooking up the music. Just as God spends time on every human to make him or her a masterpiece, he explained, they try to do the same for every song until they are satisfied.
Before working together, Steele and Littlemore were doing different projects under EMI. They were then introduced to each other and got on “pretty much straight away,” said Steele.
This was not to say they did not have their own share of difficulties. Steele said the pair had to become explorers and “get on the boat and just start paddling out to sea.” The studios they recorded in would only allot a certain amount of time for them, cutting their production in the middle of the process.
“We’d have to go to another place. I think that was God’s way of testing us. How far are you gonna travel for a chorus? I guess that’s why it comes out good. You gotta kind of suffer for your art,” said Steele.
Littlemore, he said, was “like a painter” slicing up the guitars and doing collages. He had an electronic music background, while Steele was more into songwriting, “like John Lennon”. Their sound now was “just the natural mash-up,” said Steele, likening it to putting a sandwich together.
The two have a competitive streak, however. “I think we’re trying to outdo who can work the hardest. He’s going to bed at 2:30AM!”
Steele said he and his partner are disciplined about their work. Sometimes the song will sound perfect to him, “And Nick will arrive, (and we have to) start again.”
Eventually, he explained, they arrive at a place where the song is meant to be. “We fight for that place where it’s beyond perfection. It’s always to get a song that when people hear they’ll kind of go, ‘Ahhh.’”
“It’s like when you open the door in the morning and the sun comes through and it hits the table,” said Steele of these Eureka moments.
The 12-track “Ice on the Dune”, Empire of the Sun’s follow-up to “Walking on a Dream”, was released last year.
According to Steele, their songs tackle “all that good stuff that kind of gets pushed aside a bit in the world,” like “Imagination, and liberation, aspirations and dreams.”
Fashion and art complete the package.
“We’re like hunters and gatherers; we go out in the world and meet people. As well as librarians; we come back and we store everything. And painters as well; then (we) start throwing out chords in the computer and lyrics at the wall. Eventually the puzzle comes together: we have a song. And then we go shopping,” Steele revealed.
These days he takes his style cues from the zoo. “You discover all the animals that God’s created and all the different cloaks that animals have, scales, and some have like eight legs, and then you go to the beach and there’s a sea lion lying around. You can get a lot of ideas for your outfit,” he said.
Architecture also has an influence.
“I just came from the airport to here. You guys have a lot of color, excitement in the streets. All that kind of swims around in my brain. It would end up with a jacket,” he said.
The costumes are important, said Steele, because he wants to bring out the majesty of the music he has worked hard for through his attire.
“It’s my life. It’s something I’m really proud of, I’ve slaved over, and taken every piece of inspiration from sitting on airplanes or going surfing out in Malibu,” he explained.
Together with his wife and Littlemore, Steele also created the cover art for the album. They also have a team who works on the visual aspects of the band.
Luke Steel. (Mikkel Bolante/InterAksyon)
“You gotta stand out. The music industry’s like a jungle,” he said. For their performances, in particular, they bring out the dancers and the costumes.
“It’s a big production. …It’s like all your famous idols, like Michael Jackson and David Bowie, it feels great. We wanna make sure we try and get it right,” Steele explained.
As for performing on Day 2 of 7107, where they went after Kendrick Lamar and before the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Steele said: “This is the greatest day ever to work.”
Add to that the “warm feeling” he got from Filipinos. “You guys are so happy,” he added.
Steele said the audience could expect to be transported to another place, “feel the heart of the Empire,” and “be explorers” with the band.
Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele talks inspiration, fashion, and their ‘Technicolor dream’ music
Source: InterAksyon.com (February 25, 2014 at 01:08PM)
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