One of the coolest things about having our brand right in the heart of London, is that we always seem to find really cool underground bands and artists.
Last weekend, we came across the band Elysia's Dust - and we had to stop them for a chat over a pint in the local watering hole.
Elysia's Dust is made up of 2 people - Kira the vocalist & Kye the guitarist. They play a mix of Gypsy-esq Jazz infused pop (if you know what I mean) with influences from all around the world. Check out our interview below and a song they are slowly becoming famous for Imik Simik.
OK,
so to kick things off, why don’t you tell us a bit about who you are? Who make
up the band and what are your backgrounds in?
At the moment it’s just the two of us: Kye
(guitarist) has been in various original and cover bands. And Kira (vocalist) my
background is in a bit of everything, I was always changing my mind, one moment
I wanted to run my own bar, the next thing I wanted to be a playwright, but
mainly I guess due to my studies my background is in performing arts and
theatre.
I am
dying to know, who is Elysia and how did you come up with the band name Elysia’s
Dust?
Elysia’s Dust actually means the illusion
of money to bring happiness. We looked in a book of fables and old phrases/words,
and I put the phrase together and we liked it. It works because Elysia could
also be a person, in which case I guess you would say Elysia is Kira.
How
would you describe your type of music? Imik Simik is a Moroccan song right,
where do you get your influences from?
Our genre at the moment is ‘chopsy swing’- its
swingy, acoustic gypsy-pop-jazz. We do have worldwide influences; for example,
French acoustic bands and gypsy jazz heavily influence us.
We’ve only been going a year so I guess the
main highlight is discovering our connection. When we’re in sync, Kye plays a
riff and I freestyle over it and it goes all over the place, then comes back and
we’re always on the same page. This is an amazing relationship and awesome when
jamming,
Where
can we see you playing next??
We’ve got a few gigs booked around London
and Kent. We’re most looking forward to playing at One World Festival in August;
it’s an organic, wellbeing festival- that’s going to be a really nice day.
Would
you say you had a musical advantage being based in London? How has this opened
the doors for you and the band or would you disagree and say you have found it
equally struggling to get to where you are now?
Yes and No. Yes because you can see
anything, all types of music. You can play everywhere. People are very open. And
no because it’s harder to get a fan base, as it’s so competitive.
One
of the coolest things I like about underground bands is that you can always be
assured that the personality & the edginess always comes across from the
brand – what would you say is the trademark for the band? What makes Elysia’s
Dust stand out from others?
Elysia’s Dust is our brand and trademark.
Each of us is unique and has brought to the table a part of them they want to
share with another unique individual. Those two unique parts have found
themselves be to very similar and have formed Elysia’s Dust. Maybe in the
future there may develop a more physical trademark, who knows?
Kye - Elysia's Dust guitarist
Yes for now.
Speaking
of, did you design the bands logo? I love it!
Yes, it took 1 min [laughs]. I needed
something for our Myspace and Facebook pages. I’m always designing bits and
pieces for the band.
What
would you say to other aspiring singers/bands out there, how did you pluck up
the courage to jump right in and go for it?
We didn’t, we spent months in doors
rehearsing and thought it was about time to show ourselves.
Everyone
gets asked this: What is the future plan for the band? & What can we expect
to see more of?
We’ve just started, so you can expect more
gigs and more tracks.
Finally,
when will your album be finished?
It’s too early to say, but we’ll keep you
posted.
Dying to hear what they sound like? You can listen to Imik Simik by following the links at the bottom of this page.
Its's been great chatting to you guys! Can't wait to see you play at your next gig!
Love,
Xander & the team @ Emi. x
