Q1: If you had the opportunity to get an inspiring message across to a large amount of people, what would your message be?
A1: Enjoy life, and know when to work hard.
Q2: How did you get started with your music? And if you weren’t a musician what would you want to be doing?
A2: I guess there’s no real point of ‘starting’. It could have been teaching ourselves the guitar at 13, getting Cubase with a guitar pedal at 15, buying Logic Pro at 17, or releasing our first EP. It’s an on-going obsession that still hasn’t stopped. If it weren’t for music I would probably be an unsuccessful actor, or would quite like to do social work.
Q3: What or who keeps you motivated and inspires you?
A3: I find travelling to now be the biggest source of inspiration; we come home from spending one or two weeks abroad in a different country and feel enriched by the experience, everything seems interesting and alive again. Especially our recent trips to America, we have just returned from almost two weeks there [after missing our initial return flight] and feel rejuvenated.
Q4: What are the most memorable experiences of your life and career so far? And what have you learned from them?
A4: I think playing recently at Les Nuit Zonores Festival in Lyon was a big experience for us. We played to 2,000 people after Superorganism and felt we had total control over the crowd, and managed to share our journey with them. Nothing in the world comes close to that feeling. Although afterwards you realise the experience is fleeting, and reality hits back and you become humbled by its return, and realise you have to keep on working hard to recreate, and re-earn those experiences.
Q5: Would you go back and change anything in your career so far? And if not, why?
A5: I think I would be more honest with myself about what I wanted to do, have believed in myself more, and had the confidence to follow my dreams fully, instead of fooling myself that they were impossible. Probably would have saved a lot of time, and I would be better at my practice.
Q6: In the next two years what do you aspire to achieve?
A6: I would like to equal our successes in UK to those in Europe, play to similar crowds of people, and have an exciting, energetic second album that we can tour for the rest of our lives.
Q7: How much of your life and your background has influenced you to become a songwriter and musician?
A7: Not much. As soon as I finished sixth form I went to drama school; it was only after a fair amount of persuading from my cousin that I realised the potential of the music we could create together. This is not to say that I was not doing music constantly anyhow, but the prospect of it being an actual career never seemed real until then.
Q8: Which lyrics mean the most to you and why; ones you have written or ones you didn’t write?
A8: “Money don’t make my world go round / I’m reaching up to a higher ground / To a warm and peaceful place / I can rest my weary face / Coz we’re living; we’re living in a crazy maze.”
Q9: If you could collaborate with anyone who would to it be and why?
A9: I think we would like to reach out to some of our favourite techno producers, mainly from the minimal scene, names like Ricardo Villalobos, Rhadoo etc, to see if we can form some kind of new, exciting rock music with them.
Q10: Is there one most inspiring message you have heard in your life so far?
A10: I wrote down this quote from the book I was reading last night, “Everything that angers you about other people should lead to a better understanding of yourself” …
Q11: Do you have a motto in life that you live by?
A11: Life fast, die old.
Q12: Which other bands or artists are currently on your playlist?
A12: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Island, Palace, Oscar Jerome, Puma Blue, Arvo Part, Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto, Calibre, Flyte, Kid Franceslloni, Brian Jonestown Massacre, John Hopkins, Souls of Mischief, Animal Collective, Atoms for Peace.
Q13: If you could have one song to be the soundtrack to your life, what would it be and why?
A13: I don’t know, we have so many different ideas of ourselves, and we often choose music to suit those different moods. So, I don’t know. Maybe ‘Going Up Country’ by Canned Heat to keep some kind of free spirited, positive view on the world …
Q14: What are your biggest dreams? And your biggest fears?
A14: Bit personal. Biggest dream is probably headlining a festival like Field Day; biggest fear is being lonely.
Q15: What are your plans for this year?
A15: Play some festivals, work hard on our second album, do more DJ-ing, earn money, get better at what I do.
Q16: What would your advice be to those who want to live out their dreams?
A16: Work hard, and know that what you put in you get out.
Q17: Lastly, for those who don’t know, what are the best social media methods for people to follow you and your music?
Twitter: @otzeki Facebook: @otzeki Instagram: @otzeki music
ASPIRE TO INSPIRE 