When the creativity starts to flow and quality songs are spewing out you can not slow down. Inspiration strikes quickly but writer’s block can come just as fast. So strike while the iron is hot and never stop creating for as long as it lasts. Our friend from the musical project Dav!d & Clara have been on fire and just keep turning out their unique sounds.
The musical duo of a man, David, and his computer, Clara, are back at it and have a new album scheduled for release on September 18th, 2016. The title is unpretentiously “The Art Of Audio”. The 12 track record continues the original electronic industrial sound that has become the trademark of Dav!d & Clara.
The opener “Stopping Traffic” starts with a funky feel that sets up the record for something fun and different. The song “Ecstasy” proves there can be an elegant beauty created with computer and synth generated sound. The stops and starts keep the listener’s attention transfixed to where the track will turn next. There is an almost pop friendly melody on “Only One” but Dav!d & Clara keep in experimental with a dark vocal tone that reaches into your soul.
We had another chance to sit down with David and get into how the new album developed.
Get Behind the Music of Dav!d & Clara Below:
Great to hear from you again David. How is Clara?
She is fine. On my kitchen table, charging as we speak. Thanks for asking.
Seems like you are still developing your unique sound. Tell us what has changed over the past couple years?
The outlook of the music. I wanted to start experimenting with combining acoustic and electronic elements together, making a cohesive sound that is beautiful. Still, the acoustic sounds were produced by a synthesizer, I think they still have their rich sounds and tones. What also changed is that I want to leave something to be remembered for. I may not make anything from this album, but the money isn’t important. Like any hobby, to enjoy it you have to put time and effort in. I’m willing to do that. I love these songs and I’m so glad people responded so well to them. I’ve also been trying to pull away from the NIN comparisons, but, that may never go away. Quite honestly I never tried to be like Trent Reznor, I guess my voice just sounds like his. Quite honestly I find Trent incredibly sexy.
Back on point. The idea of a high power electronic sound with a girly type imagery. Industrial electronic presented the way popstars are. I’m a girly kind of a guy, what can I say? That’s actually been the idea all along. Then the new direction for the audio.
And then I made something I found unique. So, yay. The album started out as a test playlist on Soundcloud then drew more than a million plays in 6 days. The daily amount is still staying above 500, and I’m so happy. Stats don’t matter, what I care about is that people are enjoying it. I’ve had a bounty of fan emails. I love it.
We hear Dav!d & Clara have a new album coming out in September. Tell us about it?
The album title is “The Art of Audio”. It was initially supposed to be a test for material, but the reaction was so overwhelming that I just decided to keep it that way and set a release date for iTunes. It’s a step forward. 12 songs, half electronic, half hybrid folktronic fusion. These are older songs, lyrically. Some I’ve never been able to do anything with for years. Such as “Best of the best”, which is nearly 11 years old. I wrote it when I was 14. I really put a lot of time into it rather than just shoving something out half baked (thought that’s fun too), these required more work. Because I wanted my children-my music-to be ready to combat the unforgiving world they are being presented in. I wanted strong willed individuals that are an army of their own. They are cocky, full of ego and attitude, they don’t take shit. As well, they are also loving and caring, gentle yet rough, they are human, each a piece of me.
Tell us about the name “The Art Of Audio”?
It’s actually a title that’s been played with in my head for several years now. I actually first copied down on something in 2006, but I never pursued it. I also know the title is cocky and pretentious, but I was searching for several album titles. Initially some of the songs were taken from what was to be the sequel to “Adventures in Love, Lust, and Life”, titled “Misadventures in Love, Lust, and life”. I also titled the music this way because I’m still shocked that I could make songs this great myself. It was art to me. It still is. I had to look at the music as art, not an investment, not cold and calculated, as something I love that I want to showcase.
How did the songs come together?
I sat down one day in late May and just told myself “You’re going to make something new, and it’s going to be amazing”. I tried, and tried, until “Stopping Traffic” emerged. I didn’t force it, I drew it out of myself. They are techniques that I use when I have a block when writing and producing and went through the motions, and then each song kept blossoming. Before I knew it, I had more than 90 songs ready. I basically never stop writing or producing. When I’m working or promoting I may slow down, but I never stop. Also during the music process I was having these out of body experience type dreams while sleeping that seemed to have caused the music to evolve the way it did. Images of light, floating above a glowing meadow at sunset, then the next day the lyrics and music would just flow.
Then I did have a setback after a dear friend died, and then I made a song about it which was “Live for you”. And I did that because if he was here he’d be telling me to get my a** up and live. That was a turning point after he died, his name was Mike Charns, a great friend who lived in Palm Springs. I wrote many songs at his house. Some of the songs were recorded in various places over the course of two years. “What I think” and “High Roller” were recorded at the now closed Blue Moon hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Inside the bathroom of room 301 (which had a fantastic view). I recorded them very fast, and then edited over the following year.
Then I have songs that are older, such as “Best of the best”, and “Heart go faster” which had lyrics written but I could never find the right track to put them to. All of these songs have a rich and meaningful backstory as to how they were made and what inspired them. I could write paragraph after paragraph.
What are the plans for getting it out there?
Thanks to Routenote, I was able to get this music out to all the major digital music stores. A physical release may be in the works in the future. For now I’ve had steady sales via iTunes, and thanks to my fans and to your site for helping me gain more fans. Basically hard work, interviews, videos, word of mouth, et cetera. I’m also planning better periscope shows, stay local and think global is the attitude. If I can travel, awesome! But for now live performances via periscope will do. It’s great practice and I love it.
What is on the horizon for Dav!d & Clara?
Hard work, and not standing still. I’ll keep working harder, and dreaming bigger.
You can keep up with more from Dav!d & Clara on their WEBSITE