Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Obin.
Andre, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I started making music under my own name in 2008 after a decade playing in rock and electronic bands. I had reached a stage where the people I trusted most musically needed to move on to different fields or phases of life. I found myself trying to replace musicians with drum machines and sequencers. I was lucky that I learned how to use Ableton Live around that time and I relied more and more on my laptop as a live performance tool, with mixed reception.
A label in Ann Arbor called Mood gadget had worked with one of my previous bands Matters & Dunaway and took interest in the music I was making alone. I released a number of alternative dance EP’s with Mood gadget digitally, including Color wheel, Premonition, Front Runner and Lemon drop. Even though I was still just learning many elements of synthesis and production, I think there was enough heart and soul in the songs themselves to help them stand up.
Around 2011, a few labels in Europe started to take interest in my music. I released a number of techno-pop singles with small indies including Mina in Switzerland, Klopfgeist in Groningen, and maybe most notably Trouw in Amsterdam which spawned the single “Soft Rain”. It was a very surreal time for me as an artist, and I was grateful to play shows in Europe to some pretty amazing crowds. But as well all know hype is a most fleeting thing!
Unfortunately, many of the record labels I was working with collapsed (maybe it was partially my fault!). I was lucky to have another American indie label called Sky Council step in and take interest in my career. I made three full length albums with Sky Council beginning with The Arsonist (2013) which culled many of my previous singles on to one vinyl with stronger mixing and mastering. Ways of Escape (2014) and Endorphin (2015) followed. During this same time period I was able to tour the East coast of the USA a couple times, play SXSW a few times, Los Angeles and San Francisco. We also fit in time to shoot music videos for “Valencia” in Montreal and “Further Away” in London.
In 2016, I reached out to Mark Gardener of the band Ride, one of my favorite bands. Mark is also a great mixing engineer. I had a collection of songs called Warm Winter I had written on guitar over the years. They were much more singer/songwriter compared to my synth tracks which generally emerge from ether. I knew I needed help from an engineer that really knew guitars, and I was thrilled when Mark agreed to work with me. In addition to the mixing, he contributed backing vocals and some guitar on a few tracks. This collaboration resulted in the dream-pop album Warm Winter which I self-released in January of 2017.
Most recently I’ve been working on a new collection of synth pop material I am really excited about the tunes and have been playing them with my electronic band here in Boston. I’m also working as a sound engineer for live music and producing for a few other electronic artists. I hope to eventually release some new Andre Obin music and tour again when the time is right.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I try to create music to stimulate the mind, body and soul. It’s not all born of light and I think the darker side of my music is also useful to my audience. We’re all working through something. Sometimes I’m not even sure what I’m working through but I know I have to keep creating to make sense of it. I’m still lacking a ton of music theory and technical ability, but I think I have good taste and ears, and I try to build upon that.
I always try to keep the visual aspect in mind, whether it’s an album cover or performance. It is something that I’ve struggled with at times and constantly evolving. I’ve got to work with some great graphic designers including Kevin Grady who designed all of the covers for my releases on Sky Council.
I also love ambient lighting of all kinds and spacious environments. I’ve had the honor of dj’ing ambient music in the courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum a few times. It is a very beautiful place.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
To be able to form your own thoughts in peace, not everyone is afforded that luxury!
For learning about other artists, I love Bandcamp and Discogs.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Just about all of my music is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
I still like SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/andreobin).
Band camp is probably the best! (https://andreobin.bandcamp.com/)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andreobin.bandcamp.com/
- Email: andreobinmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreobin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreobinmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreobin
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/andreobin
Image Credit:
Nicky Digital, Lyndsey Almon, Kevin Grady
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