On 6th July acclaimed Spanish artist, DJ, producer and composer Edu Ostos – aka. Ed is Dead releases his eclectic debut album, ‘Change’
With the help of an array of up and coming guest vocalists, ‘Change’ showcases the work of a versatile and accomplished producer and songwriter, encompassing elements of electronica, dance, rock and classical music.
Kicking off with the acoustic-tinged ‘Change’ with its delicate guitars and simple vocals from newcomer Nicco, album highlights include the addictive ‘Shame’ which hooks you in with its 90’s inspired soul vocal and African rhythm pattern, lead single, ‘Praise’ fusing moments of underground, gospel, techno and pop and ‘Black’ built with a striking falsetto from Turkish vocalist Taki laid over a 2step/triphop beat.
Other standouts include ‘Still Around Me’ – “Imagine Queens of the Stone Age, Maceo Plex, The XX and Queen, getting drunk and making music” explains Edu, and ‘My Man’ inspired by the film scores of John Williams, Hans Zimmer and Henry Mancini. Elsewhere there’s the tech house production of ‘September’ and experimental textures of album closer ‘Crystal Sand.’ We called Ed at his studio in Madrid to talk about ‘Change’…
Hi Edu thanks for taking the time to chat. First question, where are you at the moment and what has been occupying your time today?
Hi, it’s my pleasure really. I’m currently promoting my first solo album and rehearsing the live set with my band for the upcoming tours. I’m also putting the final touches to a very interesting collaboration project with world-famous Jazz piano performer, Ariadna Castellanos, which consists of a fusion between Jazz, Flamenco and Electronic music. It’s very time-consuming but definitely a very inspirational journey for me.
Can you explain where your AKA ‘Ed is Dead’ came from and how long have you been using this alias?
That’s an easy one to answer! I took it from a Pixies song, probably even not their best, but I picture myself as an insomniac, a bit obsessive and feeling comfortable in the darkness of a studio without needing much sunlight, so though it fitted the purpose. Some sort of vampiresque reference if you will. I incorporated that alias in 2010. But I have used other identities in the past like “Sex Ed.” (sexual education) or music 3du. I’m really hoping this one sticks and becomes the definitive one.
You have had a decade and a half of success in the music industry in Spain, with many hit tunes and winning national music awards. Can you talk us through the journey you’ve made over the years to get to where you are now?
This has really been a journey for me. It allowed me to travel the world doing what I love the most. I like to get involved in every aspect of the music making process, besides the excitement of being a live performer. I have enjoyed every bit of the production process as well. I started playing the flamenco cajon as a kid, then jumped into piano, then into drums and then started touring with metal and hardcore bands. Then I got into DJing and producing hiphop and when the electronic music scene burst into Spain I had already been in that game for about 5 or 6 years, especially with electro and drum n bass. So the labels started asking me for tracks and my studio began to work for many different artists. I’ve never stopped learning since then.
July is going to be a special moment in your career as your debut album ‘Change’ is released. It’s a real musician’s album which oozes quality throughout. What were the processes you had to go through to make ‘Change’ happen? What is your vision for ‘Change’?
This is an inflexion point in my career, probably the first time I feel completely free to do whatever comes out of my head. I had been obsessed in the past with certain artists or sounds, but this time I tried not to follow any tendency and just be myself. ‘Change’ is the kind of album I would like to hear while I lay in the dark.
Who has collaborated with you on ‘Change’ and what are your plans for playing the album live over the coming months? You’re going to play it with a full band, vocalists and recreate it live on stage?
A lot of talented artists and friends have been kind to participate in this album: Niccó, Odille, St. Barbarella, Ed Zepp, Taki Tekyurt, Clara Brea, Ale Acosta, they all have been an essential part of it. Right now, our live show incorporates Odille in vocals and Echedey Molina, an amazing percussionist, while I play several synths, samplers and all kinds of weird stuff I can’t yet reveal!
As a musician, there’s no hiding place doing that. Do you think that more artists should be encouraged to play this way rather than rely on the play button followed by some knob turning?
Of course, I think technology, especially in electronic music, allows a lot of people to hide behind a virtual gear complexity which isn’t really so. I need the actual risk, otherwise I would feel really bored on stage. I need to feel that things could go wrong, so I put my whole effort in to making them right.
Can you tell us something about the music scene at the moment in Madrid? Is it vibrant?
There’s amazing artists in Madrid and all over Spain in general but I must say the political situation, the powers that be, are making things ever so difficult for them to thrive. Even with this scenery, Madrid has a very unique and exciting underground life and there’s always a lot to discover on a daily basis.
What artists do you admire? As a producer you’ve worked with the likes of Marta Sanchez, David Bisbal, Fuel Fandango and DJ Nano among others. Have these artists made an impression on you in relation to the music on your album?
There’s way too many artists I admire and from very different genres and even disciplines. Mentioning only a couple of them is always unfair but from the top of my head… Bjork, Dali, Otis Redding, Jeff Buckley… But probably if you asked me this very same question in 10 seconds I would give different names as an answer. Every single person I’ve worked with has left something, either for better or for worse. I always try to learn from every experience and take a bit with me.
Are there any festival appearances planned for the summer and do you have any plans to be in Ibiza?
Yes, I’m going be performing in festivals like Sonar, Mulafest, Madgarden and many more and of course we will be in Ibiza in the summer!
Finally if you had to sum up ’Change’ in three words only what words would you choose?
Turn lights off.
Ed is Dead’s debut album ‘Change’ is released on 6th July on Minifunk/Petite Mort. Highly recommended *****
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