With Memorial Day just passing in the United States, we wanted to honor a fellow veteran in the music industry. We recently discovered PRIMÆRY and his unclassifiable yet mesmerizing sound. He took the time to sit down with us and let us into his mind and his songwriting. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, where did the name PRIMÆRY come from?
PRIMÆRY came from the plain word “Primary” which was a call sign I had used while working as a helicopter landing signalman in the US Navy. I wanted something short, simple, and cool sounding. I was first inspired by a group called “Beacon”. I loved their name because of its simplicity and just how neat of a word it was. As for “PRIMÆRY”, I didn’t want to use the plain word “Primary” since I had already found a band with that name, so I decided to make it all capitalized and I added the “Æ” to replace the “A”. This decision was a little bit of choice based on my love for the band Tool. They have an album titled “Ænima” featuring the song “Ænema”. The Æ is called an æsc. I always thought it was neat and I figured it would be fitting for my artist name.
How would you describe your interesting sound?
Without doing any genre research, I have been trying to come up with what my base genre would be. For some reason, “Synth-hop” comes to mind. I honestly haven’t really heard much like it. I started off wanting to do 80’s action synthwave music but after getting started, I began incorporating some chill-hop vibes along with it. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I find my sound to be very laid back and relaxing. I love creating visuals in my head when I hear music and with my album “Exploria” I have full movie scenes playing in my mind throughout the duration of the album. Describing my sound, I would say it’s a hip-hop foundation, synthwave lead, acoustic backing sounds, instrumentals, psychedelic vibes, and an industrial tone, all thrown together in a can, shaken up, and spilled all over a cinematic experience, and that leaves you with PRIMÆRY.
Which artists have had the biggest influence on your career?
The biggest one would be Tool for sure. Which might sound confusing considering my music sounds nothing like them. But because of Tool, I love long songs. A long song has always made me feel that the story, is too important or too deep to be told in 3 minutes. I can’t help but feel that if the song is long, I get more attached to it. Also, Tool loves to throw in tracks into their albums that aren’t really songs, but more of just cinematic sounds that leave you creating a story in your head. This Tool tactic was the inspiration for my Intro, Outro, and even my intermission in my album. Tool aside, there is a Finnish band called Pepe Deluxé and I have been going nuts over their wide use of instruments and a fantastic beat. That’s where I had become to add some guitar and it changed the tone of the music dramatically.
Tell us about your songwriting process?
I will sometimes just come up with a melody in my head and I will start humming it into my voice recorder on my phone. I will then bring that to my studio, open up my music software, and start laying out the notes. I will find a nice warm synth sound that goes with it, and then start laying out the drum lines. After I create a nice loop, I will listen to it over and over again and try to paint a picture of a movie scene in my head. Is the scene dramatic? Intense? Scary? Whatever I come up with decides the rest of my song and where I want to take it. If it’s sad, I will write chords and give them some string sounds such as cellos, or violins. If it sounds intense, I will find some hard thumping synth plucks and a heavier bass. If it’s dramatic, I will layer it with more synth and probably make it a long song. I am all about the scene the song creates, I just start the song, and let the scene take me where it wants to go.
What do you hope that listeners take from a song by PRIMÆRY?
I really hope that it helps the listener be creative. Not one of my songs has a definite meaning. I may have very specific visions of my own when I hear my own material, but those visions will always only be mine. I want the listener to open their mind, lay down, and close their eyes. Unless they are driving. In that case, pay attention. But I want a listener to hear something of mine and feel something like they are part of a story. Visualize a setting, a time of day, a situation, and be a part of it. Let it take you somewhere you have never been.
What advice do you have for other artists creating truly unique music?
Keep trying new things. Never be afraid to experiment, and definitely don’t worry about making something too different. Whether that something is too different from your other music, or just different from everything. The more you experiment, the better your chances are of finding your one true sound.
What is coming up for PRIMÆRY?
I am feeling great about my newest album, and I have not stopped making music since I released it. So yes, that means I already have new songs sitting in my library but as for an album, expect a lot of ambience, dark undertones, and a LOT of storytelling. My next work will truly be a cinematic experience.
Keep up with PRIMÆRY here:
http://instagram.com/theprimaery
https://primaery.bandcamp.com/
