We talk to BLISSS about his unique sound and approach to music.

 

There aren’t many debut singles that have the impact on me that BLISSS’ debut single Badcat did. Immediately after listening, I got back in touch with BLISSS to find out a little bit about the mysterious individual who had come up out of nowhere to drop such a killer single.

 

How did it all begin?

“I’ve been producing little jigs for as long as I can remember. As a little kid I was always jamming out on those shitty casio digital pianos, recording little 4 track pieces. This habit slowly accumulated into getting into recording programs like ProTools in middle school, and eventually became fluent in Logic Pro.

“I’ve been in and out of bands my whole life, but always have always kept a handful of solo projects in my pocket. BLISSS is the accumulation of my endeavors as a solo bedroom producer. Funny thing is I still produce with shitty casio keyboards.”

 

What’s the songwriting process like for you?

“It’s always evolving, but some things stay consistent. Like the fact that I always write as I record, and I have a slightly obsessive compulsion to make beats. That’s how I begin a lot of my songs – the drums. I use vinyl-ripped drum loops, slice them up, rearrange them until I find a really grounded rhythm. Then I usually add a few simple layers of guitar and bass and vocals shortly after.

“Sometimes I like to go back through my hard drives of old recordings, usually just guitar and vocals. I like to take these old demo’s and remix them with my current aesthetic.”

It feels like a lot of creativity and concentration went into Badcat. Was it challenging to develop into the final version, and what inspired it?

“Thank you! It took a lot of physical and mental work but also emotional vulnerability. Compared to my other songs, this one really came out of nowhere and seemingly assembled itself. Its conception to its release was a two and a half week period. This was also my first go at mixing a song to it’s completion, so that was a big learning experience.

“I’m really inspired by feminism and sexuality. I wanted to create a track that felt really sexy and portrayed the feminine as a powerful force. So writing the lyrics took some vulnerability and risk taking on my part.”

 

Your sound is strikingly unique – like an experimental-funk approach to electropop. What led you to this style?

“My roots are in rock music, particularly psychedelic rock. Over the years I’ve fallen in love with electronic music and hip hop. So the sound you hear is a synthesis of my passion for psychedelic grooves sliced up in a future-vision, beat-producer fashion.”

 

What makes you stand out as an artist?

“I approach electronic pop music and beat music from a totally grassroots DIY singer-songwriter perspective. I hear a lot of great electronic music that is devoid of humanity, context, and story. I hope to offer a human voice to such a mechanical sound and scene.”

 

What’s next for you?

“I plan to release a few more singles in the upcoming months. After that my partner and I are heading off to travel Thailand and the surrounding countries while writing an album. I hope to collect all sorts of interesting sounds and vibes out there!”