Interview – Richard Seeley

2023 marked the return of Richard Seeley, accompanied with a brand new release series ‘The Seeza Project’ which closed off the year in a more melodic fashion compared to his usual minimalistic flare. This year he looks to continue the momentum with the third instalment rumoured to drop in the coming months on his very own GLUE Music. Check out what Seeley had to say when we spoke towards the end of last year.

Can you share a bit about your musical journey and how you first got into producing music?

From the 1990’s I was obsessed with exploring the rave subculture and maybe the lure of naughtiness, mystery and people that went with it. I also really liked the obscure new music which was unheard of commercially. I’d get hold of tapes from some school friends whose brothers were older and had access to such music. I’d rinse them over and over in my SONY walkman and be in awe of the music.

There was a record shop in my local town, which sold vinyl ‘Casual Sounds’ and I became a regular almost every weekend and started buying & collecting vinyl, at the time I only had a hifi record player. 

When in my late teens I did the cliche thing, but I promise is actually is 100% true, of having two stereos round a mates house, at around 14-15 years old with a bottle of beer and mixing without a pitch control and turning volumes up and down thinking I was a DJ, the working class determination and imagination almost made it become a reality on that day with only a cat for an audience it was better than nothing! Inevitably after that catastrophe of an effort, cheap decks followed after working my weekend jobs and saving and I began mixing (badly) then fast forward, playing dodgy rooms, pubs and weird local festivals etc… I bought Ableton Live 4 nearly 20 years ago!! All the while I was seeking more from music and started an event called Juicy Vermin with Andreas Georgides (the other half of Self Self) and some other local DJ’s.

From there my curiosity was to make music and so I was introduced to Ableton Live. I still have the original disks and serial number and that was my start in music production in the mid 2000’s.

What genres or artists have influenced your musical style over the years?

Genres initially in my teens were illegal parties I didn’t go to many maybe 3 in total as I was still young, Exodus in the Bedfordshire area where they would break into a warehouse and the decks would be on the back of an old military truck, then we couldn’t leave and wasn’t allowed to out until later haha then there was the sandpit and local quarry, and they did a festival with lots of different sound systems at their farm in Charlton, that was really good.  Also other locals would host parties in abandoned derelict buildings, where the decks & DJ were locked in a room and the speakers were outside in the rest of the property that was on a major B road too… Old School Rave music was my focus back then, inspired by events tapes from Fantasia, Dreamscape and DJ’s Ellis Dee, Carl Cox, Micky Finn, Swanee and Slipmatt etc…

Fastforward and my tastes changed and I was getting into some harder stuff like Techno then as time went by into more Tech/deep House, minimal &  experimental breaks. So many artists to name them all but stand out names from memory: Carl Cox, Mark Broom, Cari Lekebuch & Cristian Vogul, Terry Francis, Craig Richards, Wighnomy Brothers, Ame, James Holden, Sven Vath, Andre Galluzzi, Tim Sheridan, Peace Division, Justin Drake, Ricardo Villalobos, Solomun, Zip, Tania Vulcano, Loco Dice, Luciano, Radio Slave, Marcel Dettman, Pheek, Steffi, Gathaspar, Valentino Kanzyane, Hawtin, Audio Werner, Maya Nidam, Rhadoo, Petre Inspirescu, Bruno Pronsato, Margaret Dygas, Robag Wruhme, Dewalta, Mike Shannon, Zefzeed, Ion Ludwig, Rampa, &Me plus many more too

How has your musical background shaped this latest series ‘The Seeza Project’?

The Seeza Project being shaped from my musical background would be the benefit of having more time in the studio now gives me room to experiment with varying styles and production techniques, and the truth is, there is less pressure to write in specific, tight, time periods. I can produce when I feel like it, I’m enjoying it more than ever. Whereas before I was consumed with juggling a day job, so I was mentally consumed and was short on time, so having to squeeze time in the studio wasn’t always enjoyable, lucky I no longer have that issue. Which should allow me to really focus on being consistent in releasing the series, something that I have struggled with before due to time constraints.

I’ve written ‘90 different Seeza project Ideas’ so far and counting, which are generally a few mins long,  and I  revisit them for a review, and some will get advanced to ‘work in progress’ folder and some get relegated/paused until a later date, I find the ones that I think will work and suit an EP and finish them.

What I have noticed by having more time in general is that what can sound really ‘on point’ one day will sound different on another so I really like the process of listening with time between listening again, so that ‘fresh ears’ can judge before it makes it to the shortlist release stage.

Who are some of your current musical influences, and how do they manifest in your latest EP?

Mike Shannon, Dewalta, Robag Wruhme, Ion Ludwing, Petre Inspirescu, Rhadoo are some stand out current influences. How they manifest in the latest EP; well who knows, maybe one of them is on the EP?! ; )

Are there non-musical influences that play a role in shaping your creative process?

What plays a vital role is being able to feel in the mood and make music when I want. That plays a huge influence on workflow and creativity. Being relaxed and ready when I want to work no matter what the time of day or night, if I choose to produce, I can. Other than that staying balanced with ‘everything’ is a constant challenge but that is my primary focus, that way I remain in a fairly omni-creative mindset.

Could you describe your studio setup and the essential gear you use when producing music?

Adam A8X monitors, Allen and Heath QU16 mixing desk, TC-Helicon Voice live Touch for vocal processing and FX, Roland TR8 drum machine, Moog SUB 37 & Nova Bass station analogue synths and my DAW is Ableton Live. I also like my live percussion, assorted Tambourine, Guiro, shakers and wooden blocks als0 44” & 24” monitors. It’s a very simple set up and I like it like that…

Are there any unique or unconventional tools you incorporate into your creative process?

I like field recordings also in my studio with the track I’m working on, and I’m playing that and recording through a mic back into the DAW, I then place that in an audio track for atmosphere/glue effect you can hear that in Zedz on the Seeza Project No 3 Other than that the rest are secrets ha…

Running a label like GLUE Music must come with its challenges. What motivated you to start your own label?

If I’m passionate about something I want to give it my all when I can. My motivation was to take my musical journey to the next level and doing more for myself and other artists was a natural path to take. Generally contributing more to the scene too. Getting labels to reply and engage can be tiring and time consuming so starting a label was a great way to get music out there and have full autonomy.

How do you balance the responsibilities of being a producer and running a record label?

Being a small label it isn’t all that time consuming so really the balance is on music production and the rest of my time. I’m in my studio pretty much every day, and if that isn’t directly working on music, I will quite often jump on some music at some point in the day and quite often I’m really happy I did, as that’s when new directions and progress can be made in that period of impulsive production. I’m sure the dynamic will shift and I will need to balance it out more and I’ll let you know what I do to address that in future ha!

Your latest EP is the second installment of ‘The Seeza Project.’ How does this EP differ from your previous release?

It was a big change, in as much that it was more a big room style EP, with melodies and more ‘palatable’ I would say than I normally write. Sven Vath & Ame’s style was the inspiration.

The Data Transmission editor commented on the PR ‘feedback’ that the track ‘Cosmos’ from the Seeza Project No2 had the drums of peace division and the melodies of Nathen Fake. I’ll take it!

Were there specific themes or concepts that you aimed to explore differently this time around?

More musical melodies, evoking more of a feeling as opposed to just stomping, I wanted people to hear and perhaps ‘feel’ something. I’m romanticizing ‘drug music’ aren’t I haha! I wanted to try and erk out some musical depths to The Seeza Project No 2 rather than duf duf duf!

Can you share some insights into the creative process behind ‘The Seeza Project’? How do you approach creating a cohesive body of work?

I covered briefly that it starts as an idea (90 and counting so far), I love writing ideas, I like to start new ideas a lot! My wife tells me that’s where we are different as she would have to finish it and start a new one, but she was honest and said that then she would likely miss out on so much creativity as my mood kind of dictates what’s written, my musical DNA if you like. One idea can evolve 10 times and will sound nothing like the original idea and I really like that. I’m not stubborn and rigid. I will let it go wherever it is supposed to. I also get my wife to listen to ideas and help me choose what to put out. She is brutally honest too which helps : )

How do you see the project evolving in the future, and are there any specific goals you hope to achieve with it?

The Seeza Project, a natural evolution would be to introduce new artists like on Seeza Project No 3 (watch this space) and around release 10 I’m thinking of doing a limited edition vinyl pack that will have Seeza Project No1 to 10 on them. I would like the Seeza Project to be collectable hence the numbered theme.

I would like to take the ‘Seeza Project’ on the road too: DJ at clubs,events, festivals, possibly host a room/event like I did in Berlin for Glue Music with Bruno Pronsato, Beaner and Kenneth Scott and share the released and unreleased Seeza project tracks with the clubbers.

Without giving too much away, what can fans expect from the third installment of ‘The Seeza Project’?

I already left some clues that well respected artist is involved that I have previously never worked with. I was very happy he said yes and looked forward to having them onboard the Seeza Project. It’s someone I have admired for a long time and can’t wait to get the release out there.

Are there any new elements or experiments you’re excited to introduce in the upcoming release?

The new element is the new artist that I’m excited to introduce! As for experiments… unsure as I’m still deciding on the final tracks for the release! But I’ll be sure to try my best in delivering something that will be loved or hated, I try to stay away from ‘safe’ music.

Looking ahead to 2024, what else do you have in store for your fans? Any upcoming collaborations or projects you can tease?

I already have other artists on the radar and some confirmed, all I will say is that they are well respected and loved in the scene. I’m going to be approaching more as the year goes on and will see what evolves from it.

Are there specific goals or milestones you hope to achieve in the coming year, both as an artist and label owner?

Definitely a minimum of 4 ‘Seeza Project’ releases on ‘Glue music’ is the plan, two of which have confirmed artists other than me on them. I’d love to get the opportunity to share the music as much as possible with some gigs and possibly hosting a room for an event, I have one in mind, but I’ll know nearer the time, if I can achieve two thirds of that I’ll be happy!

The Seeza Project releases are available to buy here