Interview: Getting to know Hounded
Sydney-based producer Hounded has just released his new single. We asked him to tell us about himself:
I am – Edan Visser, also known as Hounded. I’m a 16-year-old looking 24-year-old living in Surry Hills, Sydney writing indie-pop from my bedroom and studio.
‘Hollow’ is – a collaboration between Panama and me. It was created over the course of numerous months, across the internet and in the studio. I was inspired at the time listening to artists like Sigur Ros, Odesza and Coldplay, and I really wanted to capture the cinematic atmosphere they achieve. ‘Hollow’ is the first record where I’ve stopped focusing on the way it sounds, and rather focused on the story it tells.
Home is – and always will be south of Sydney, in the greater region of Wollongong, where my family still lives. I always appreciate going back down because of how familiar everything is. The move to Sydney was somewhat tough for me because I felt like I had to reinvent myself, but I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new.
I spend too much time – over analyzing my music instead of trusting myself. This one is big for me, and it’s still something I’m working on – even after four years of the Hounded project. A lot of the time I spend hours replaying the same segment of a song trying to figure out if it works, and in the end, it doesn’t get me very far. The best songs I’ve written have all come from not second guessing myself, so it’s something I always have to remind myself to do (prayer hands).
I’ve never been – overseas. I always make up excuses as to why I haven’t been, thinking to myself that I’m too busy or that I’d be missing out on something here in the meantime. I’m sure I will be fortunate enough to go overseas soon, maybe even my music will allow me to travel. My family actually went to Hawaii a few years ago but I decided not to go (because I threw a house party, don’t tell them).
It might surprise you to learn that – I write all of my songs on a six-year-old MacBook with headphones. I actually bought a new I-mac a year ago that cost me a small fortune, but whenever I’ve tried to write music on it, I always go back to my tiny laptop. A lot of the songs I’ve written have also been finished in my library at university in I-phone headphones. I think there’s a stigma that in order to be a ‘producer’ you need to have this elaborate setup – that couldn’t be further from the truth.
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HOUNDED – HOLLOW TOUR
SAT 9 MAR | JACK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH WA
SAT 23 MAR | HAYDAY, WOLLONGONG NSW
SAT 30 MAR | OURS @ BEACH ROAD HOTEL, SYDNEY NSW
Follow Hounded on Facebook.
