A Conversation With Andrew Wasylyk
A Conversation With Andrew Wasylyk
Does your street have its own sound? Beyond the cars and the voices and the perpetual white noise of modern life, do the local spaces that you call home – the parks and the paths, the great trees and the graveyards – have their own distinct musical personalities? Do they offer up melodies that come alive when one foot goes down in front of the other, or when the sun blinks out over the horizon?
Andrew Wasylyk – the visionary Scottish composer and producer – has quietly set about soundtracking his locale to dazzling effect. His recent triptych of albums (‘Themes for Buildings and Spaces’, ‘The Paralian’ and ‘Fugitive Light and Themes of Consolation’) collectively explored the East coast of Scotland, while 2021’s masterful ‘Balgay Hill: Morning in Magnolia’ (longlisted for Scottish Album Of The Year Award, 2022) took inspiration from a Dundee park that provided a peaceful respite for many against the creeping panic of the pandemic.
Wasylyk’s journeys and thought processes are set to continue through his gloriously transportational live shows (which have already seen him nominated for Best Live Act at the 2021 Scottish Alternative Music Awards) and his mesmerising records, more of which are on the way in the shape of his new LP, ‘Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls’. And they are all journeys that anyone is invited to join in on, whether in a gig venue or on headphones. Just bring an open mind.
NSG: Good morning Andrew and how are you? What have you been doing today and how’s that going?
AW: Morning. I’m currently drinking coffee, preparing to drive eight musicians to Sheffield to soundcheck.
NSG: So let’s start at the beginning. Where did you grow up and what was it like?
AW: Dundee. I’ve been fortunate to grow up in a fairly peaceful place. For me, it’s been a good city to work in and observe the world from.
NSG: You have just released ‘Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls‘, your second LP for the esteemed Clay Pipe Music label. Can you tell me all about it?
AW: A few of the initial pieces arrived after the National Galleries of Scotland invited me to create music to accompany Thomas Joshua Cooper’s ‘The World’s Edge’ exhibition. The idea being a soundtrack that might work as a response, or evocation, of his images. Unbeknown at the time, that process opened the door to themes and ideas that would grow into a whole new album.
NSG: Your music is instrumental and as a composer, your music is very different to what we consider mainstream. Can you tell me what drove you to be a composer releasing music as opposed to a singer, songwriter or being in a band?
AW: I’ve worked with those elements before in bands and collaborations and enjoyed it. It feels there’s things yet to explore with what I’m currently doing. Not that I’d rule out a more vocal-oriented album.
NSG: Did you find it hard to find your niche? Like was it a struggle to find where you felt you fit into the music industry?
AW: Perhaps living in Dundee has encouraged me to think less about fitting in and more about trying to do create something worthwhile. I hope so. As tricky as it is to ignore the noise at times, I think you’ve got to just get on with your work.
NSG: What are you enjoying the most about this tour?
AW: Travelling with this wonderful eight-piece group and having the opportunity to perform this work in some beautiful rooms.
NSG: Being from Scotland, do you feel it influences your writing and compositions in any way?
AW: It seeps in one way or another. Where ever you are, you’re never too far from some heartbreaking beauty in Scotland.
NSG: How would you describe your sound and who has been your biggest influence?
AW: Influences are endless, ever-evolving things but, musically, I never fail to find inspiration in the likes of Virginia Astley, Joanna Brouk, Alice Coltrane, Robert Wyatt and The Pastels.
(Andrew Wasylyk portrait © Andy Martin 2022)
NSG: If you could sit down for dinner with any three people from history, past or present who would they be and why?
AW: Hmm, I’m not sure. Today I’ll say Doris Day, Nina Simone and Mary Oliver.
NSG: What’s your best advice on finding happiness and living a fulfilling life?
AW: “Enjoy every sandwich”?
NSG: What is 2023 looking like for you?
AW: I’ve got a few things simmering, including a vinyl release of ‘Parallel Light‘, which was an alternative mix album of ‘Fugitive Light & Themes Of Consolation‘.
NSG: Thank you so much for your time, we wish you all the luck in the world! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
AW: Thank you for having me.
You can catch Andrew on tour this month on the dates below
December
6th Dundee V&A (SOLD OUT)
7th Leeds Headrow House
8th Sheffield Abbeydale Picture House
9th London St Matthias Church
11th Manchester Halle St Michaels
12th Liverpool Philharmonic Small Room
13th Glasgow CCA
To follow Andrew Wasylyk on social media or to buy tickets click the links below
