“The Horrors” by Elyon Codekeep is like a complex puzzle made up of many intricate pieces—at first, it might feel daunting, but by the end, the sense of completion is deeply rewarding. Dive into our conversation with the artist below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Introspective, Eclectic, and Energetic
What inspired The Horrors and how does it align with your artistic vision?
I don’t tend to start artistic pursuits with a message in mind. That’s just not how I work. But sometimes I do see something from the process after the fact—that happened here. The Horrors started out as a sort of technical exercise in drum processing. I kept reaching for samples in my catalog of unfinished projects. I was putting together something pretty melancholic, which on its own isn’t unusual, but in this context it was. Each of these samples were originally part of projects that were much more easy-going.
In retrospect my process with this piece mirrored how I feel about the current state of things, especially here in the States. We’re seeing systems that brought peace of mind be dismantled, and we don’t know how to process it. Horror is the feeling of fear that comes from something that hasn’t happened yet. And in many ways, it feels like we’re living through horrors right now. Hence the name.
DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing….. is often considered the greatest sample-based album of all time. Personally, I feel that The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett is also a master of sampling, especially in his early work during the 90’s. What’s your take?
I’d say both artists are absolutely masters in their own right—the major difference to me lies in how each artist expresses themselves through sampling. DJ Shadow’s work feels more like a diary entry to me. It’s this intimate, one-on-one confessional with the listener. Liam, on the other hand, feels like something different. The effects, synths, vocals, all incite this sort of primal, survival instinct.
Generally, I’d say The Prodigy has influenced genres of music with a broader audience in the last two decades, so if I was to give an award for who’s made the bigger impact, I’d have to give it to them. And for what it’s worth, I do find a lot of their work from that time more exciting to listen to. I may be tricking myself into this answer, however, because The Fat of the Land has been stuck in my car for a year and I can’t find the damn CD case.
Your influences span a wide range of genres and eras—how do you blend them into a cohesive sound?
This has always been the million-dollar question. It’s especially difficult when you want to let yourself be carried away by your favorite influences, only to find yourself second guessing whether or not all those pieces make sense as a whole.
I think blending influences is a much more latent and intuitive activity than we like to pretend it is. It mostly comes from the discipline of listening to good music, you know? You pick out patterns in what you like, and when it comes to putting a new piece together, you intuit what goes into a track from the reference library you’ve built in your head.
In my case, this track actually samples a few projects from a moment in my life when I was listening to a lot of King Gizzard. Mix that with my forays into making my own Ninja-esque drum samples, and next thing you know, you get something like The Horrors.
How do you balance experimental sounds with making music that remains danceable?
I agree that it’s a delicate balance, and I don’t know that I’m always striking it that well. I like to break down danceable music into two parts: texture and rhythm. If you’re drastically experimental one way, I find it’s best to remain conservative the other.
In the case of “The Horrors,” I’ve stuck with pretty conventional rhythmic patterns, your dembows and the like, and let sound choice be my playground for experimentation. I think an example of an artist doing the opposite of this is Chon. They have very danceable, complex grooves, but stick to an overall familiar guitar-fronted palette.
If the music of Elyon Codekeep was a film, which film would that be?
Oh no, now I have to pretend I’m a film connoisseur. Probably The Matrix, not because of the narrative, but rather because of the atmosphere and zeitgeist associated with it.
Something I know about message and argument is that rhetoric is important to conveying that message. I like to think of my work as rhetorical devices more than messages. Rob Dougan’s work on The Matrix, for example, serves as an excellent rhetorical device to accentuate the message of The Matrix. I think my work would likely play a similar role.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Ooh, good question. I think I’d have to pick Phantogram. I think they strike a good balance between electronica and pop that I’d love to be a part of. They seem open to EDM collaborations, too, so the possibilities would really be limitless.
Something not many people know about you?
I was exposed to a lot of electronica in my childhood without realizing it. I grew up in the Middle East, and a lot of the music that played in public spaces was that downtempo, UK lounge music. They definitely had a larger appreciation for it than they did in the US, and I think a lot of those sensibilities latched onto me and influenced my tastes. I think it’s why I gravitate towards a lot of what I do, and I don’t tend to bring it up because I often forget.
Thank you!
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