Welcome to an interview with Velour Fog, where rock meets rap in a fusion of electrifying sounds. Explore their inspirations, creative process, and future musical endeavors.
1. What inspired the creation of your
band, Velour Fog, and how did you come up with the name?
Being in a band was always the goal for me (Jake), after years of experimenting
with various projects, it all came around to the roots of wanting to rock out
and make some badass tracks. The name is inspired by our youth of growing up in
the Y2K / 2000’s era, watching shows like Futurama, South Park and The Simpsons
when it was still good.
2. Can you tell us about your new single, "Glue"? What was the
creative process behind it?
Honestly it was one of those songs that wrote itself, I was really ill with
covid and the riff just came to me on an acoustic guitar. It sounded like
something definitively rock, one of those riffs that makes the writer question
if something that classic has been done before. Maybe there is something
similar, but I haven’t heard it.
3. How would you describe the sound of Velour Fog to someone who has never
listened to your music before?
Electrifying rock with blends of Nu Metal, Hip-hop and Grunge. Funky baselines,
and blazing shred guitar. Definitely a love letter to the 90s and Y2K eras
4. "Glue" has been described as a fusion of
rock/nu-metal/grunge/hip-hop and funk. How do you manage to blend these diverse
influences into a cohesive sound?
It’s got to the point in music where no-one is reinventing the wheel, just like
any artist before us we just take pieces of the puzzle from all the different
kinds of music we love and rearrange it into its own thing. I love 90s East
coast hip hop, the beats are filled with jazz and funk phrases, I think a lot
of Rap rock acts don’t really incorporate this side of hip hop into rock and
metal too often which is a shame. Love a good guitar solo as well, I worked
hard to attain my technique so I’m going to use it when creating our music, but
something important I realised was to not just make music to show off, but
instead to make something that will connect with and engage the listener.
5. What was it like working with legendary rock music producer Nick Tauber on "Glue"? How did his experience influence the production of the track?
The production of the track was more of an in house thing, of course Nick has helped the band evolve to a point where the songwriting has improved massively, he has been pushing us to reach our potential.
6. Could you share any memorable experiences from the recording or production of "Glue"?
Sure, to start we were a man down after losing our drummer so the singer had to record the drums, then one of my favourite ideas on the track, is the reversed guitars just before the breakdown which I will admit is heavily inspired by production techniques used by The Beatles. We were also going to add more rap elements in the verse and I remember trying all kinds of different ideas, but everything just made me laugh, it wasn’t for nothing though as the Rap Breakdown towards the end of the song was composed of lyrics from that initial idea.
7. How do you think "Glue" represents the evolution of Velour Fog's music compared to your previous singles?
I think it definitely showcases the shift towards a more rap metal orientated sound, while still retaining the heavy grunge elements from our previous release “Dopehead”. The new material we have been working on since our drummer Moose joined, has a lot more funk, and Rap, we are heavily inspired by acts like Rage Against The Machine, Powerman 5000 and Linkin Park, I used to rap and make hip-hop beats when I was younger, so that element was always something I wanted to incorporate into the music I create. Not just the sound but the image is ever-evolving too, back in the nu-metal era you had bands looking like video game characters, and honestly its straight up badass, and we want to bring that side of the industry back to the rock / metal genre in a world filled with bands wearing black shirts and skinny jeans.
8. What message or emotions do you hope listeners take away from "Glue"?
It’s up to the listener to decipher that
9. How has the music scene in the outskirts of London influenced Velour Fog's style and approach to music?
Most of our influences are from the United States, honestly I am not a big fan of the UK music scene, it’s a lot of metal core, punk and indie.
10. Apart from "Glue," do you have any upcoming projects or
collaborations that fans can look forward to?
Yes, I can’t wait to get the new material out there. I am very excited by the
direction the sound is evolving in, the concept of Glue was written almost a
year ago now, and with the new drummer you can expect things have changed quite
a bit.
11. What do you enjoy most about performing live, and do you have any
favorite venues or cities to play in?
Its just a great buzz when you release that energy out on stage, and to have
people in the audience right there with you feeling it too, it’s better than
being high.
12. How do you see Velour Fog's sound evolving in the future? Are there any
new genres or styles you're interested in exploring?
When this band first started we were closer to guns N Roses, or Dio, so it is
hard to predict where it will go, but I definitely think it’s a high
possibility.
13. How important do you think social media and online platforms are for
independent bands like Velour Fog in reaching a wider audience?
The annoying truth is that it’s an essential task of being part of any band /
business / influencer. The band holds a very negative view of social media, but
that doesn’t mean we wont take advantage of it to reach a wider audience.
14. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are trying to make a mark in the rock music scene today?
Just do something organic and original, make the music you want to hear, and for the love of god don’t go up on stage dressed in generic clothes, put some serious thought into the image. Lastly keep it simple stupid, don’t compete in musical olympics, focus on writing the best songs, and using your instruments to serve the song.
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