We recently connected with Simon Logan Andersen and have shared our conversation below.
Simon, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I have worked on is probably Peach Talk’s debut EP Silly Boy. Peach Talk is a trio formed by Zack Camilleri, Ella Pullicinio, and myself after our studies in music production at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), London. Zack and I clicked instantly and had been discussing working together since first meeting and finally had the chance to do so for our final projects. We decided to collaborate on a track but needed a soulful vocalist who plays with the timbre of their voice and is comfortable working on harmonies, similar to Nai Palm from Hiatus Kaiyote. Zack suggested Ella and we sent her an instrumental we’d been working on, and a couple days later she sent us back a full song, which became Pretend, our debut single. We all instantly fell in love with the sound, but what really stood out to me was the work ethic and shared interest in music. That is what ultimately convinced me to form Peach Talk, as I believe that Silly Boy is only the beginning, and we will continue to work on our sound as we explore new influences and evolve. Since forming the group we have hosted sold out gigs for the premiere of our EP and also played at a festival called Earth Garden in Malta while working on new material. This project has not only been my most meaningful project professionally, but it has also lead to some of the most exciting and fulfilling moments of my life, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Simon and I am a 23 year old producer and engineer currently based in London. I am originally from Malmo, Sweden of Jamaican and Danish heritage. I’ve been interested in music since I was a kid in school and started taking jazz guitar lessons at the age of 13. I was also involved with my school band, eventually becoming leader. Around this time I began taking an interest in producing, especially sampling from listening to hip-hop producers and playing a lot of jazz. At 17 I began releasing instrumental beats on SoundCloud under my alias S-ilo and was eventually discovered by ChilledCow, (now Lofi Girl) who pioneered the 24/7 radio on YouTube. This led me to releasing beats with different independent lo-fi labels and collaborating with a lot of fellow producers, while still in high-school. Upon graduating I was awarded a certificate for music excellence before going on to study Music at Durham University, UK. This was a tough period because Durham required me to read sheet music and understand theory at a very high level, which I eventually reached, however it was definitely a learning experience, albeit one I would never regret. Following this, I discovered that I wanted to pursue a career as a producer and engineer rather than as a classical performer or composer, therefore I decided to pursue my masters in Creative Music Production at ICMP, London. During this period, I also interned at recording studios Camden Records, London and Roasting House, Malmo, Sweden. This is also where I met Zack Camilleri and through him Ella Pullicinio, which led to the creation of Peach Talk, the most meaningful project in my life to date, one which is constantly evolving. I am also working closely with Zack in setting up a production/engineering studio for commercial use while building up a network of artists and musicians which we trust and can easily work with.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Studying Music at Durham University was probably one of the toughest times of my life. I decided to study music because I felt like I was already building a career within music production with my alias S-ilo and I had been playing guitar for some time, however the level expected at Durham was way higher than I expected. I often felt like an imposter because a lot of my classmates had incredible credentials and professional understandings of harmony, composition etc. On top of this, I was moving from Sweden to the UK, the first time I lived outside of my home country, and I was alone. This led to severe depression, however somehow I overcame it and graduated after three years of hard work and resilience. One thing I’m most afraid of is the shame in giving up. I felt that if I gave up, I would be giving up on my dream to become a successful music producer and I would no longer know who I was. I don’t think I will every give up on this dream, as it is literally at the essence of who I am. I suppose my advice in terms of resilience is to pursue your true passion and nothing will stop you from trying to achieve it.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Intention has always been a tricky subject for me. I love music and wouldn’t still be pursuing it if I didn’t, however sometimes I think that I only decided to do it professionally because it is what I showed the greatest aptitude in since childhood. Whether this trumps passion is up for debate, however it is an interesting thought. Other than that, I think my goal or mission is simply to do what I love doing, in this case music, and earn a living off of it. At the moment I am working a part-time job while also doing music, so I suppose my current goal or mission would be to become sustainable enough to quit my part time job so I can dedicate my full time and energy to music and meaningful creative projects. I feel that my goals or mission will change once this is achieved. I yearn for the day when I can afford for my missions to be purely creative. This is perhaps my ultimate goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04zvEg1lhzzyN1rLgfO8hG?si=RPoHqrI-RCe68e0PNWXTlg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tunesbysilo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simon.andersen.7503/photos
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-logan-andersen-799646178/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/remus2
