Ghostlike is an electronic artist from Sydney, Australia. Best known for his distinctively dark, experimental sound which combines classical elements creating a ghostly emotional presence in modern house music.
We had the chance to talk with Ghostlike ahead of the Summer season in Australia.
Electronic Groove: Hi Ghostlike, to get things started we would like to know where does the name Ghostlike come from?
Ghostlike: Thanks for having me. I came up with the name for the project solely-based on the sound of my productions as I tend to use more haunting darker sounds, as well as the inclusion of various classical elements which gives it sort of a ghostly feel.
Electronic Groove: What can you tell about your musical background. Are you classically trained or did you learn on the go?
Ghostlike: A bit of both, when I was younger I received some brief piano training, however on the production side was more self-taught with constant experimenting with plugins, samples as well as collaborating with various artists and picking up knowledge along the way.
Electronic Groove: You’re originally from Sydney, what can you tell us about the scene there in terms of clubs and festivals?
Ghostlike: With the introduction of the lockout laws Sydney has definitely struggled to maintain its club and festival culture in recent years. Artists and venue owners had to drastically adapt to the new unfairly imposed laws, with that said there are still quite a few events and festivals worth checking out over the Summer period. Lost Paradise Festival in Glenworth Valley would definitely be the one to look out this season.
Electronic Groove: You have released a number of singles and an EP on various labels. What can you tell us about the production process of your work?
Ghostlike: I have a fairly simple yet effective process of laying out elements in my sessions. Firstly, starting out with the basic foundations of the record: picking drums, bass lines, etc. Then moving through to more creative and complex variations. Of course there is a lot of trial and error involved, but most of the time when you come up with something great you will know straight away and it will be easy to keep the creativity pattern going.
“You need to create possibility for error, that’s what makes it beautiful and humanlike”
Electronic Groove: In terms of your personal music evolution how do you compare your recent works to the past ones?
Ghostlike: My production tends to be fairly diverse, so it really depends on the moment or feeling to determine what the final outcome will be. It’s more of a reflection not evolution for me I guess.
Electronic Groove: Can you give us an insight on the preparation that goes into your DJ sets?
Ghostlike: Very minimal, as true art is imperfect so why should your sets be? For some events or festivals I would sometimes have a very brief outline of what I want to play, but I think so often planned out sets sound too generic and boring; you need to create possibility for error, that’s what makes it beautiful and humanlike. If you are confident in your craft you shouldn’t be planning anything, it should come naturally, on the spot.
Electronic Groove: What can you tell us about your plans for the rest of 2017? Any special events or releases we should be looking for?
Ghostlike: I currently have two completed EP’s. The first one titled ‘Unwanted Subtlety’, you can hear on my EG podcast. The other titled ‘Today I Dreamt of Death’ with two ambient pieces that I am looking to release in the coming months.
Moving forward production wise I would definitely like to finalize some of my unfinished projects, as I have quite a few in the works and possibly start some new collaborations if I get around to it.
Electronic Groove: What do you like to listen when you’re chilling?
Ghostlike: Well, I am always hunting for records so mostly I tend to listen to a lot of podcasts and DJ mixes. However, I also enjoy the likes of Ludovico Einaudi, Nils Frahm, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, and others when I’m relaxing.
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