“You can’t really go chasing trends because by the time you make something and by the time it comes out things have moved on anyway.”
London solo artist Othello Woolf is sitting in the corner of a virtually empty pub in Shoreditch, pint in hand, ruminating over whether his debut album tessellates with what’s hot in 2011. With sonics appropriated from another era – one that’s not currently in vogue – and not even the slightest hint of a womping dubstep beat there’s only really one conclusion to draw – it doesn’t.
“I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, probably a bit of both,” he says with a wry smile. “Artistically, good. Commercially, probably not so much.”
Whilst the eponymous first LP might not make him a bucketload of cash and propel him to the top of the charts, it’s refreshing to hear something so far removed from any scene that could be considered the sound of now; something so confidently unique and full of personality. It’s a stunning listen, one that’s not only vibrant and fun but also soon to be yours to own for absolutely nothing.
“It’s going to be on iTunes as well so people can pay for it if they want,” explains Woolf (whose real first name is the less Shakespearian Oliver) when pressed for the reasons behind giving away something he’s worked so hard on for free. “That would be appreciated because at the end of the day it’ll go to me and it’ll pay for me to get future tracks mastered and stuff like that.”
That said, he claims to be “not bothered about trying to earn much money from it”, hoping curious would-be fans will give him a chance, encouraged by the non-existent price tag, but his generosity might not last forever: “I hope it encourages new people to listen to it and then they might come to a gig or whatever. I mean, probably in the future I might charge for my stuff,” he shrugs.
Free or not, at least at this early stage in his career, Woolf is clearly indebted to the sounds pioneered in the 80s, but states he’s “not obsessed with staying current” but doesn’t ever “dismiss new music just because it’s new.”
“It probably relates a bit back to [talking] about current trends. [If you chase them] at the end of the day you just feel really unsatisfied.” He takes a sip of his beer and shuffles in his seat. “You can probably hear that Prince is quite a big influence on this album. I love loads of stuff he did in the 80s. Talking Heads as well. Remain In Light came out in the 80s and that’s a big influence. But I’m also influenced by current stuff, stuff from the 70s, stuff from since pop music began.”
In other interviews, Woolf has expressed a desire to create something else that has been dominant in pop music since its birth – a timeless album. Today though, he just laughs, brushing those statements away as “a bit naive” before musing on why the state of the industry in the 21st century makes achieving that feat a lot harder.
“I feel like these days because the whole structure around releasing music and the music industry itself have changed so much it’s harder for albums to be entrenched in people’s minds and define eras because so much more stuff comes out and it’s through a much wider medium,” he sighs. “To stand out, even the biggest artists are struggling to have massive era defining albums because the album is getting pushed back in favour of people listening to stuff on shuffle. People in general like a lot more stuff than they would have, like a wider bunch of stuff. It’s a different kind of time.”
That said, there’s still the glimmer of hope that perhaps one day he could lay claim to a record that stands the test of time. After all, as Woolf points out, this is only his first album and, hopefully, the first of many.
Clutching his half empty glass he explains “I’ve got lots of stuff planned after this. I hope that people enjoy it but I’d like to think I’ll do a lot better stuff in the future. Doing it independently as well, I think will give me a chance to develop because I think a lot of artists on bigger labels have all the pressure put on them to deliver on the first album.”
Of those future plans he can tell us nothing definite, just he’s thinking of doing another EP at the end of the year and maybe another album in early 2012 but don’t hold him to that. “If you’re in control of what you do,” he says, “you don’t need to plan as much.”
Other endeavours are given the same uncertain assessments. His collaboration with London producer Bullion (with whom Woolf also made a version of this album that “didn’t work out”) is described as not “an Othello Woolf thing and [not] a Bullion thing… it doesn’t really have a name yet” but there is one track finished, possibly “to be released as a 12”.
Then there’s the production work Woolf has been doing himself, with an unnamed band. “I’m not sure if it’s actually going to come out, I’m not sure what they’re doing now,” he explains. “They might be changing their name, they’ve got some other commitments, I’m not exactly sure.”
Production is something he’d like to do more of (working with his mystery band was a “cool process”) but for now the album’s the main focus. Deservedly so too, because, despite it being so separate to what is happening in popular culture right now, it’s a genuinely strong contender for album of the year.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Othello Woolf – Scared Of Love:
