Q&A with ‘villain’ music producers eevee and cliffe

Image credit: Benjamin Arias (@badnationtv) & sweeep (@sweeep_)

Having previously featured on A.Room with their single ‘so easy’, eevee and cliffe unveil another lo-fi-infused treat titled ‘villain’ via Secret Souls. A gripping listen, with its emotion-laden words, we fall deeper and deeper in love with these two talents. The overall mood of this stellar single makes time feel like it is standing still. A lyrically-conflicted track, one can relate to the inner turmoil that can result from hurting someone dear to us. We asked cliffe and eevee a few questions about their new music in the interview below.

Stream/ download: ‘villain’

If someone has never heard your music, which keywords would you personally use to describe your overall sound and style?

eevee: Nostalgic, laid back and melancholic.

cliffe: Melancholic, nostalgic, and contemplative.

Tell us about yourself. How did you get into music?

eevee: I started with a basic music program on a new laptop I bought. My ex gave me FL11 and taught me the basics, I instantly fell in love with it.

cliffe: I watched my brother make beats and rap since I was four. In high school, I had fun making terrible beats on my phone and making indie pop stuff with my friend Andre. At some point when I was seventeen, I caught the lo-fi bug and ONLY listened to lo-fi beats. Taking influence from Kanye’s sampling and those lo-fi beats, I tried it out and loved it. I started uploading my stuff everywhere and haven’t looked back.

When you compose and produce tracks, do you make music for yourself or do you make it with others in mind?

eevee: I create my music for myself, but I can have someone in mind while making it like someone I love, or a commissioned work and the people involved, or a collaboration with another producer or singer. That gives me even more inspiration to make the beat.

cliffe: For my solo stuff, so far I can say my music has been for me like journal entries. In collabs, I definitely think of the other artist more, but I still keep the lyrics personal to me.

Comfort the disturbed or disturb the comfortable – what is your aim with your music?

eevee: I want my music to help people relax and feel happy, to make them feel a presence when they feel alone or sad, to help them heal their wounds and move on to the next beautiful path in their lives.

cliffe: Comfort the disturbed for sure. I’m the artist you listen to in those intimate moments you have all to yourself. When thoughts of the past come pouring in. When pondering what’s next for your life. Trying to figure out what’s worth your energy and what isn’t.

Has your arsenal of equipment changed much since you first started?

eevee: It has changed just a little bit over time, I switched DAWs from FL11, to FL20, to Ableton live. I still go back to FL20 sometimes as I like some VSTs it has, for example gross beats. I have tried out some different hardware like my sp404, sp555 and MPC live.

cliffe: Nope. Mic, laptop, speakers, headphones, and my phone for voice memos.

Three favorite tracks of all time?

eevee:

Flying lotus – 1983

Clams casino – I’m God

Bsd.u – hoodie weather

cliffe:

‘Ram On’ – Paul McCartney

‘Shades of Cool’ – Lana Del Rey

‘Empire Ants’ – Gorillaz

What inspires you outside of music?

eevee: I like yoga, walking and roller skating. It makes me feel refreshed and gives me a calm mind and lots of new focus and inspiration.

My son inspires me, to see how he likes music, how he dances and plays. He makes me think that life can be an adventure, even the small normal boring tasks. It’s just how you look at it, how you experience things.

That’s something I want for my music too. I want a beat that takes you on an adventure, that you can zone out and be somewhere else.

Meeting new people and traveling also gives me a lot of inspiration.

cliffe: Conversations. I love a nice pure, raw conversation with someone learning about the way they see the world and what they hope to accomplish in their time here.

What is the best or strangest reaction you’ve had to your music this far?

eevee: A few years ago I was playing a live show, I met a fan who came up to me and he almost immediately cried when he saw me. We shared some of the same life struggles and it was a very special moment that we had. It’s very beautiful to see how I can build a bond with my fans through my music but also through my pain, sadness, grief and my healing. As they can hear it in my music and that way I can help them with their journey.

cliffe: Someone told me I was their muse, their inspiration for the music they make. That meant the entire world to me.

What, in your opinion, would be the perfect genre fusion?

eevee: I’d love to hear some lo-fi indie house.

cliffe: Indie, lo-fi ,drum and bass, phonk and hyperpop (chopped & screwed).

Do you consider the Internet and social media as fundamental in building a career in music today, and what is your personal relationship with the new technology at hand?

eevee: I think the internet and social media can be a great tool to brand yourself and reach new people and get new fans. Almost a foundation you need in this day and age because there are so many creators out there. It can almost feel like you’re not doing enough if you don’t. But on the other hand, there are still a lot of great artists who are not on social media, which also shows that there are other ways to do it. For myself, I’m not much on social media. I prefer to spend my time making music rather than content. But I try to at least have an online presence, but I don’t post content on a daily basis.

cliffe: Without the internet, a career in music was close to impossible. There was no way in unless you knew someone or forced your way into the room like Kanye had to. Nowadays, with the level of access we all have to people’s attention, I can say confidently that anyone could accomplish a career in music if they truly went for it.

I love the internet for allowing me to connect with people I never would have met otherwise, but I definitely don’t do the social-media-artist thing much. I spend 99% of my time on Instagram and use it as a personal page with announcements of songs sprinkled in.

I make music for the love of it, especially making it with others.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or releases in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

eevee: You can expect a lot. I have an album with sweeep on September 2nd, a solo EP, and an EP with cliffe later this year. I also have some big remixes coming out in a few months.

cliffe: Lots of singles from eevee and I for the rest of 2022 leading up to an EP. We also have another album concept in mind while we work out these songs. Beyond that, some solo singles from myself added into the mix just to get them off my chest.