Established in Germany in 2014, Sea Moya has been hard at work while prepping their new upcoming 2018 album for release. In the meantime, they just released the new experimental/funktronica track “New Past” which features a rare approach towards a raw and exploratory sound that listeners may be unfamiliar with. Listen to the irresistible treat that Sea Moya has fans begging for more of, while you read the interesting and in-depth Q&A we had with the duo below.
When did you begin writing and playing instruments?
David: I started playing instruments at the age of five. After a pretty smooth take-off with flute and trumpet, I switched to playing the guitar at the age of 16, because there was no way to play Metallica on the trumpet. In high school I kind of sneaked into my first band, that’s when I began to write songs.
Elias: Music was all over the house when I was a kid. My mom used to play Djembe, we had all kinds of instruments at home like drums, a cello, and viola, a harp, vibes, you name it. She took me to her drum circle when I was in her belly and so did she when I was growing up. I’d always grab the Agogo Bells, or hit some drums, then learned classical drums at a music school till I started playing in bands and recording them, diving into electronic music, synthesizer and studio gear. It took me quite some time to find the confidence to write lyrics, which I love doing by now
Was it a struggle at first starting out for you?
David: Naawwhh. Playing an instrument as a kid was all about having fun. Though the trumpet can be a mean instrument from time to time. As soon as I got my first guitar I wanted to learn to play my favorite songs which didn’t feel like practicing at all.
Elias: There was this dark age of computer games, which sucked me up like a black hole. Besides that, I’m very thankful that my parents introduced me to music at an early stage. I took it from there and always wanted to try some new styles, new instruments.
Where do you draw inspiration from mostly to help you write?
Elias: Honestly it totally differs from song to song. Sometimes when I’m just having a good day, I could walk into the studio, start messing around with some synths or samples and suddenly end up with a song. On other occasions, personal experiences trigger conceptual or lyrical ideas. I love to let it flow and see where it leads me. This is also quite dangerous as my hard drives are like ‚Come on, another unfinished something? Seriously?‘ Therefore I try to get myself focused. I’m working on it.
“Writing music in other places is a big source of inspiration for me as well! With Sea Moya, we went to the Baltic States and packed up our studio in our van to write and produce our latest EP on a road trip through Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. For our upcoming album, we built a little studio into a lonely mountain hut up in the Italian Alps. To be dragged out of your daily habits and surroundings opens up your mind.”
What or who pushed you to become an active musician?
David: I guess no one really pushed me at any time. It was more my curiosity to discover instruments and sounds. Reaching a certain point I couldn’t think of anything better. So it came quite naturally. I also have a background in music therapy which sometimes made it a little tricky to combine these two professions. That’s why I decided to pause on being a therapist for now.
How did you know you found the right guys to play your music with?
David: There are two aspects in finding your fellow music compadres. On the one side, there is obviously the musical aspect where you need to get to know each other step by step. It’s about that feeling when you’re in the studio together doing music and it clicks, leaving you with a big smile. On the other hand, you have to feel comfortable with each other since working together as musicians can be pretty intense on different levels. Writing songs and traveling together only works out when you’re true to yourself and the others. This can be exposing and when you feel comfortable in that situation you know you got the right guys.
What albums/singles or icons influence your sound?
Elias: Well, we’re on the road from NYC down to Austin right now and listening to Tago Mago by CAN right at the moment. They’re just the tip of the iceberg speaking German Krautrock which is definitely influential to our sound. We don’t have a handful of icons which lead our way tho. It’s more like taking a bit out of here and there, trying to come up with something own.
“I stopped counting how often I ever listened to There Is Love In You by Four Tet. But it was a lot. Then there’s a lot of African music I soaked up and carry in my heart. The Jayiede Afro‘ record of Orlando Julius & the Heliocentrics is a long time favorite. There is so much good music around, thinking of ‚New Past‘ we were tripping on Michael Jackson up in the Alps for sure!”
