Read the S K Y Interview below and share it on social media.
Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
My name is Marcus Gundersen, im a 18 year old boy from the country of Norway, and I produce electronic music under the alias S K Y. I got into this whole scene at a very young age, with my dad being a DJ and a producer. I don’t even know how old I was when I "produced" my first songs in Magix Music Maker on my dad's old computers. It was just something I really enjoyed, and he taught me a lot. Starting out early really was a great advantage for me, I now feel secure and happy with what indo and the things I am able to create, and I love trying to almost challenge myself into experimenting creating new things. I do not think I would be as happy if I were to only stick to one genre, since one of my favorite things about creating music is being able to play with different genres and combine things together that way. I would love to be able to play instruments and give it that human touch that is more complicated getting using a virtual instrument and a MIDI keyboard.
In more recent times I’ve been more quiet than usual, at least on the music side of my life, but even as it may appear I’ve been "dead" as I’ve been told, its honestly quite the opposite. I’ve never been as excited about music as I am right now. I have had my great girlfriend supporting me for the last two years, and she has inspired me to do many things i wouldn’t normally do. Without her I don’t even know if i would be able to say this, but I am happy to share that I’m currently working on a album! Over the last 3-4 years I’ve gathered a lot of Work In Progress songs, or so called WIP's, that just really inspired me and that I felt represented me as an artist and my style of music. I have been working on these among side collaborations with some amazing talented artists and some brand new originals, and I'm planning on bringing all of these together to one big debut album that i proudly can share feeling it will represent me and my music.
How would you describe your influences and how have they changed over the years?
My influences have both changed and not changed at the same time. I have always listened to every sort of genres, since music is always music to me, if I like it I like it. Anything from Norwegian pop to orchestral music to the heaviest dubstep tracks out there. But some artists and labels have really left their mark in my life more than the rest. My dad would often play me a lot of trance music and some of the hardcore genres, while electronic music was also starting to make its way around the Norwegian radio and pop culture, so I would easily get influenced by this type of music, and I would begin exploring this music scene more and more. An iconic artist that really influenced the radio that I remember well was Røyksopp. I also remember hearing Rusko's track ‘Jahova' which I still love to this day. After the years went by, I began listening to some of the artists that got most people into the scene, as Deadmau5, Skrillex, Dillon Francis, Excision, Feed Me, Madeon and so incredibly many others started coming along and I soon after discovered Monstercat as they released their 4th compilation, which was a huge turning point for me. I found a lot more both melodic and heavy influences that really had an huge impact on what kind of music I felt connected to. I remember so well sitting there and just being mind blown over songs by Tristam, Ephixa, Pegboard Nerds, and honestly to many to even mention. The entire Monstercat family truly inspired me, and it seemed like a great community to be a part of with so many talented individuals in one place. One of my main goals since back then in 2011 has been to be able to be on that level, and to create something that would inspire someone else the same way these artists inspired me. I’ve also had lots of great people in my life who have really influenced me and helped me get to where I am, and I am eternally thankful that. I don’t know where I would be without my girlfriend, my best friend ,my family and everyone who has supported me. Being able to travel, share and experience so many things have been as much of an inspiration as the music itself. I feel like I truly have the greatest gift in the world.
What´s new right now?
Oh yes, I got some plans that I'm super excited about, main thing being the album I'm finishing up. It will be my first and its going to contain lots of different types and moods of music, and since some of these songs are based on old ideas from as long as 5 years ago, I hope this album will help describing the musical journey I’ve had the last couple of years. I’ve found inspiration in everything I could, from traveling around the US and both seeing and playing shows with my best friend Bitdrop (Who might also appear on the album…) to just finding inspiration in being able to share my life with my girlfriend, my friends and my family. These are all people who have been amazing at supporting me and this album is as much dedicated to them as it’s a representation of some of my proudest work so far. The best feeling though, is knowing that this album is only the beginning, this is where I'm going to kick things off and really start for real. I’ve released music for a while but this will truly be a huge milestone for me, and it will represent the beginning. I got many more plans than just this album. I could also mention ill start doing some Youtube tutorials again soon, so there’s that also!
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Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
I think I was a huge fan of Tristam the longest, his music always hit me in the right things I was going through in my life and I always was a fan of his production since I first heard him. I’m always excited to hear what direction he’s going to next. But there are so many big and small artists that I’ve just been amazed by over the years so there’s probably a lot of artists I could mention here haha.
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
RELEASE MUSIC!! I made the mistake of making lots of actually good songs that would be great at that time in my production, that I never released. I regret that now, I recently found enough old WIP's to make multiple albums, and some of it was songs I barely remember, that I really regret not seeing the potential in. Its important to trust in yourself and what you’re making.
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
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Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
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How do you personally discover new music?
For example, I weekly check my Release Radar on Spotify, and I check Soundcloud every single day. Both are great places for me to find new music based on artists and songs that I already really enjoy. Nothing is more inspiring than discovering like THAT amazing song that makes you feel great and the melodies just really hit you, and you just sit there wanting to bring that same feeling to someone else with your own music. I have thousands of songs on my playlist, and I follow thousands of artists on Soundcloud, I really couldn’t live without music.
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Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
“If I discover something that just hits me so directly I often want to share that with others, I automaticly show my girlfriend or send my friends, maybe tweet it and/or repost it as well!
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What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
Try remaking your favorite melodies, your favorite tracks, and just mess around with different sounds on a MIDI keyboard. It's such a significant difference for me between just writing notes down in a piano roll and actually playing and experimenting and feeling the direction that feels natural. In a piano roll i would often get caught doing the same progression and repeating myself, its much easier to find new melodies and new things you wouldnt normally do.
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What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
Ask others for their feedback, there is so much value in that!
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
Album is defintly out, opportunities are coming, and more music on the way!
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http://www.soundcloud.com/skymoosic
http://www.facebook.com/skymoosic
http://www.twitter.com/skymoosic
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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