For those people that haven’t heard of Goth Milk could you tell us a bit about the band, your story?
We have known each other since high school and both pursued music in different directions. Guy studied music and spent his teenage years playing in many bands whilst Zach developed his DJ skills, playing in many bars and clubs. The catalyst to collaboration began when Zach heard singles that Guy had released and expressed a desire to help with other projects that Guy had started. During 2020, lockdown allowed for a lot more time for us to work on our virtual collaboration. Sending projects back and forth.
Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
We really like live performances that are more about an energy and atmosphere rather than seeing music played perfectly and sounding just like the record. This is born from different worlds for the two of us though. I (Guy) really like to watch punk shows from the 80s and 90s from bands like The Ramones, Thelonious Monster and early Red Hot Chili Peppers stuff. There’s something about the intense energy they were able to generate in those small Los Angeles venues that I find so motivating, more so than the music they’re performing in most cases. And while seemingly from a different world, you have warehouse raves, which is more Zach’s bag. Where musically, it’s worlds apart from bands like The Ramones and Black Flag. In terms of getting a room of people to vibe as one, it’s not too dissimilar.
Are there any artists or albums that have inspired your music and stuck with you through the years?
My (Guy) favourite album of all time is Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The raw funk/punk/rock sound on the record is something I always strive to interpret and implement in my own music, particularly Frusciante’s sometimes minimalist guitar playing and the way it leaves space for Flea’s bass.
One of mine (Zach) is Off The Wall by Michael Jackson. Dance music owes a lot to Quincy Jones thanks to his production. Awe-inspiring orchestral arrangement sits behind iconic Jackson vocals and compelling groove. It’s disco in its purest form and I try my best to take that uplifting energy into work of my own.
Another would be Blond by Frank Ocean. The originality of Ocean’s most recent work has become an obsession of mine. His music plays out more like a movie than a song and creates a journey that I can fully relate to. You can hear in tracks of our own that we include samples that try to demonstrate the same feeling and movie-like qualities.
Some other favourites of ours are:
Nina Simone – Nina Simone Sings the Blues
The Ramones – The Ramones
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
Chet Faker – Built On Glass
Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
Do you have any songwriting rituals?
Songwriting is left wide open for us to bounce ideas off of one another. Each track we put together comes together differently. We do not strictly stick to the same roles in each of our projects, but more often than not, Guy focuses on vocals, guitar and bass and Zach on drums, rhythm and texture.
We generally do write as we record though. Building up a track like a house, adding bits as we go while taking out other bits, rather than writing out a whole tune and then taking it into a studio and bashing it out.
I think it’s important to not set out particular rules for the songwriting and recording processes. Something that works in one project may not in another, and with an open mind, this isn’t an issue. I’ve had times where I’ve spent days trying to find a chorus melody or chord sequence that works and another time I wrote a whole song waiting for my pizza to arrive. Although to be fair, it did take fucking ages to come.
Could you tell us a bit about the writing/recording of the Syncr Music Competition winning track “Ants”?
Our most unique sound to date was born out of a desire to explore a higher tempo track with dance/disco inspired rhythm combined with our sound that we had developed thus far. Guy had imagined the setting of an underground rave for ants and insects. The original title of the track was “Ants Inside the Discoteque”. What would that look, feel and, ultimately, sound like? The result being our second single, “Ants”. Sort of a disco-western from outer space. We personally like how the track evolves from the grungey, high tempo underground space into a contrasting blissful, floaty, atmospheric breakdown which we think highlights the best out of both of our production styles.
What are some of your favourite venues to perform at?
As of writing this, we are yet to perform together! But from experience, the venue doesn’t matter as long as the people are in the mood to dance.
Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists do you have anyone to recommend?
Red Rum Club
SPQR
A State of Romance
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
Our aim is to create a live show with the releases that we have put out so far as well as future songs that we are in the process of writing and taking them to cities across the country to build a fanbase.
