Q: Welcome back, BlueMelt! It’s fantastic to have you with us again. Since our last conversation, a lot has happened in your musical journey. To kick things off, could you share some highlights or pivotal moments that have shaped your artistic path since our last interview?
A: Hello, thank you for having me again! Since our last interview, I spent time promoting my previous single “Stardust On Your Dress”, then I jumped into another rabbit hole writing and recording “Running With The Fool”. But luckily I found some quality time to dedicate to playing live, which is my favourite activity. I did a few dates in London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Liverpool in spring and summer.
Q: Can you describe BlueMelt’s musical style in three words?
A: That’s hard because my sound is very diverse across releases. I often use “Alternative Rock with electronic influences” but I agree that the “alternative” has been used as a sink for many genres.
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: To be fair, I’m not very good at it, I’m mostly immersed in music and other side projects. Instagram, YouTube and my newsletter are the primary channels I use to stay in touch with the outside world. I’m also on Facebook, but I’m less active there. There isn’t an actual conversation in place, because I mainly do this for myself, but I keep an eye on the engagement of each release or content I publish to see what triggers more interest. I’m currently considering opening a free Patreon channel.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Running With The Fool’. Is there a story behind it?
A: “Running With The Fool” started as a challenge I gave to myself. I wanted for once to write a slower-paced song, with less shredding and more melody. With that goal in mind, I set my metronome to the unusual value of 87 BPM and started building a drum grove and a simple but powerful rhythm guitar, so that I could experiment with the lead melody. The lead guitar part came out bit by bit, by recording my improvisations on top of that base track. With maybe the exception of the final solo, the main guitar line can be easily sung as a normal vocal line.
Q: What is your favourite part of the track and why?
A: I would say the final solo, was inspired by two of my favourite guitarists, John Petrucci and Eric Johnson.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the track, “Running With The Fool”?
A: I started with the drums, using a software called EZDrummer. I spent some time selecting the drum sound and then chose one main pattern from the library as a base for working. I wanted all the rhythm sections to be simple, so I deliberately chose to stay away from most of the fancy/progressive stuff. With the drums done, I imported the part into Ableton Live – my software of choice for writing and making demos – and I spent hours trying chord progressions and rhythm patterns to create a nice harmonic layer. The bass part came easily, done in a couple of hours. The lead part was the one that took most of the time. I wanted something that sounded as a singable melody, I spent a lot of time trying various techniques to play the same phrases, to make them more “interesting”. It was mostly improvised, and I recorded every session so that if something particularly good came out I wouldn’t forget it. Then I listened to all the takes and composed the final one, which I learned and recorded properly to finish the demo. With all the parts defined in the demo, I stepped into Logic Pro for the final high-quality recording and mixing.
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for BlueMelt so far?
A: On top of my mind, my recent performance at The Jacaranda in Liverpool. The venue is a great place to perform, and the audience gave me a really good vibe.
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: I would say “The Cube And The Key”, the title track of my first EP, for two reasons. First, it’s the first track I wrote when I moved to London from Italy in 2017. I wasn’t sure back then if I wanted to release music again. Secondly, it ignited my interest in mixing electronic music and loops in my productions.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into BlueMelt’s unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: I’m not sure it’s unique, and it’s definitely not consistent from song to song. Maybe that’s what I like about it. Most of the time it starts with the inspirational part; it can be a melody, a guitar riff, a guitar tone, a phrase read in a book or online, or even a concept. I use my phone to record it or write it down in the “ideas” folder. If I can, I try to expand it as much as possible at this stage to keep momentum. I review that folder periodically to see if some ideas “call me” and want to be expanded further. When one or more of those snippets start to stick in my mind for days, that’s often the sign they are ready to become a song. In some rare cases, I decide that I want to write a song using a particular technique, scale or chord progression. For example, for “Miles Away” I wanted to write using the Dorian scale and it was kind of an exercise in music craft selecting the chords and scales to use. With this proto-song in mind, the demo phase begins. The flow is very dependent on the specific song and how I envision it in my mind. It can start with an acoustic guitar and a vocal track, or with the rhythm or lead guitar, and other times with a drum loop. Once the first layer is in place I experiment with the other parts until I’m satisfied. Nowadays we can cut and paste and move things around with software, and that’s amazing. From the demo to the finished ready-to-release product is maybe the least creative part. It’s more crafty, but it has its appeal.
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have for BlueMelt, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: Writing more songs, more live performances and more collaborations for BlueMelt, for sure. For the fans, keep listening to music and don’t stop dreaming!
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