Driftwood Bremfields Interview

Endlessly prolific, multi-disciplinary artist Driftwood. has released his remarkable new single Bremfields, featuring British rapper Still Greedy. It's a truly creative and thoughtful track, a glowing addition to this growing artist's impressive discography, and is accompanied by a visually stunning, self-directed and self-edited music video, also out now. Fiercely independent and intriguingly enigmatic, Driftwood. proves time and time again that he is one to watch.

Bremfields evokes feelings of Kanye West at his most exciting, most innovative; classic Ye albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus have both clearly influenced the electronic/RnB stylings of Driftwood. during the creation of this song, but Bremfields still feels fresh, unique, new. Featuring backing vocals from platinum selling, ARIA nominated Reigan Derry (Snoop Dog, Jay Z, Neo) and mixed and mastered by Dan Vinci (Big Nasty), the song arcs creatively, synths spiking in unexpected moments, while Driftwood. and Still Greedy's vocals provide the smooth melodic, rhythmic anchor. Speaking on the otherworldly inspiration behind the song, Driftwood. says, "This single is about breaking the fourth wall. It's about the idea that there could be subterranean energies and other factors operating within other paradigms of consciousness. It's about feeling like I'm trapped within this paradigm, and I don't belong here…the one thing I love about art is I have a licence to explore ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem."

The video for Bremfields is the perfect visual representation of this exchange and exploration of energies. Slow, deliberate shots of bodies moving purposefully in the just-risen, just-set sunlight pepper throughout closed shots of darkly lit bars and eerie cliff faces, one step away from oblivion. It's a beautiful triumph, created by an artist completely in charge of his own vision, as Driftwood. explains, "I direct and edit all my videos now. I came up with the idea and the aesthetic behind the visual as well. They represent the ebb and flow, the push and pull, the yin and yang of energies which are manifested within the material universe…my creative team is small, but we get it done. Too many bodies fuck up the flow and a lot of the time are unnecessary for what I am trying to accomplish."

These are wise words from an artist who's been in the game long enough to know what works and what doesn't. To be so immune to the chaos and noise of the modern music industry and so completely, totally immersed in one's art is no mean feat, but Driftwood. does it all with ease. He offers more wisdom on the subject as he reflects, "I'm just an artist creating pieces of work I want to create and doing it independently. I'm not signed to a major record deal, and up until late last year, I did everything on my own, with the help of a few friends, and without any backing. You don't need to be signed, or in the cool crowd to create what you want to create. No one has a monopoly on art."

Interview with Driftwood

Question: How would you describe your music?

Driftwood: Alt RnB, Electronic New Wave.


Question: What inspired your new single Bremfields?

Driftwood: I wanted to break free of writing about the same mundane topics; Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll.
It was actually just a throw away freestyle which then turned into a song.


Question: Can you tell us about the music video?

Driftwood: The video is very special. Directed and edited by me, D.O.P Matt Scott Chow, also had D.O.P NAV and Ben Covro join for some pickups.

Reigan Derry, Jamali and Hilton Dennis in the video, as well as myself singing.

The clip was around some very beautiful landmark locations around Sydney. I wanted it to depict different energies, moving with the ebb and flow of the material universe and challenging what may allude to something greater surrounding us at all times.

I was sitting on some of the footage for over 6 months knowing how special the video could be if I had a chance to complete it. Was very happy to pull it together in the end. Was a lot of work. I spent two months on the edit, on and off.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Driftwood: No, I think people can interpret this song and video as they see.


Question: Tell us about working with rapper Still Greedy?

Driftwood: He's a gun. His energy on the song is incredible and a real highlight on the song for me. Very Grateful to Dan Vinci who co-produced the record for making that colab a possibility.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Driftwood: Playing live is definitely my favourite. That's the final piece.


Question: Can we expect any upcoming shows?
Driftwood: This year for sure!


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Driftwood: I'd say whatever I'm going through at the time good or bad. I channel everything around me into my art, in one way or another.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Driftwood: It changes week to week.
This week; Brent Faiyaz, Fred Again, Doja Cat, Floating Points, Flying Lotus


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Driftwood: Just to create art and make great music and share it with a wider audience. I want to create timeless pieces of work. I'm still working at that.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Driftwood: Kanye, Brent Faiyaz.

Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Driftwood: Having the ability to express myself. It's the closest I've felt to articulating myself and how I feel.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Driftwood: I wake up, have a coffee, eat then head to the studio.
I'm either in there recording, producing or directing/editing a video until 4pm, then go to the gym for an hour and a half. Eat again. Head back into the studio until the early hours.
Rinse and repeat.


Question: What's next, for you?

Driftwood: Heading to the US to write and record with some people over there in a few weeks. Lots of new music on the way as well.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Driftwood: My Instagram and smart link below have links to all my work, upcoming shows and more.
Feel free to reach out, I'll always reply.
Instagram 
Feature.fm 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort